Film Production
Essel to back Jazbaa’s robust release with aggressive promotions
MUMBAI: Gone are the days when an all India release of a movie used to make headlines for robust distribution. Gradually Bollywood has emerged as a global affair not only for the Indian diaspora but also for the vernacular audience.
Essel Vision is leaving no stone unturned to ensure an enhanced reach for its upcoming Hindi movie Jazbaa. With multilingual audio and simulcast release across the globe, Essel has plans of garnishing the movie in an exquisite manner.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Essel Vision Productions business head Akash Chawla says, “This is the first time an Indian movie will have a simulcast release in the Middle East with an Arabic dub. We are also looking to have a dubbed release for Spanish and English market alongside Hindi release for the Indian diaspora.”
Digital will spearhead the promotional and marketing strategy for the movie. “The promotional strategies will be backed by Zee all through. Zee has a huge bouquet of channels and we will be promoting the movie across all of them in both international and Indian markets,” he adds.
There will be a mega trailer launch on the sets of Dance India Dance, which will reach out to mass. In the US, the producers plan to launch a promotional tour on 17 September, 2015. A series of activities are also on the cards for the premiere of the movie, which is scheduled on 9 October, 2015.
MSM Motion Pictures’ recently produced Piku showed how brand integration can be a substantial source of revenue for producers. When queried if Jazbaa will also have brands integrated in the movie, Chawla says, “There are a few brands that are subtly placed in the movie but we kept the number as low as possible because we did not want interrupt viewers. I don’t think brand integration is yet a substantial source of revenue when it comes to movies.”
Essel Group took the decision of fully entering into film production with Jazbaa after tasting success with Lunchbox and D-Day as co-producers. The movie, which stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, is directed by Sanjay Gupta. The movie tells the story of an advocate who is stuck between professional life and motherhood.
Chawla is optimistic about the movie’s success globally. “We will have as robust release as possible and rest will depend on audience,” he says.
Film Production
Arka Mediaworks onboards 88 Pictures as animation studio partner on ‘The Eternal War – Part 1’
Arka Mediaworks announces that 88 Pictures, the acclaimed animation and visual storytelling studio known for its cutting-edge CGI and cinematic artistry, is on board as the animation partner for the highly anticipated Baahubali: The Eternal War, a groundbreaking two-part 3D animated feature film set in the globally beloved Baahubali universe.
Baahubali: The Eternal War represents a bold new chapter in the Baahubali saga envisioned for national and international audiences and crafted with the ambition of delivering one of India’s most ambitious and globally benchmarked animation projects to date.
88 Pictures will execute the animation production, bringing to life the film’s richly detailed worlds, epic battle sequences, and larger-than-life characters with its signature blend of artistic vision, performance-driven animation, and advanced production pipelines. Working closely with the film’s creative leadership and technical partners, the studio aims to set new benchmarks in animation quality, cinematic storytelling, and global scalability.
This animated epic follows the successful re-release of Baahubali: The Epic (the combined theatrical version of the original live-action films) on 31 October 2025 across India and the USA. During the film’s interval, legendary creator and director S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali 1 & 2, RRR) stunned audiences with a surprise teaser for The Eternal War – Part 1. The video immediately went viral, garnering widespread national and international acclaim across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for its ambitious visual style and scale.
Produced by Arka Mediaworks and led by co-founder and CEO Shobu Yarlagadda – producer of the iconic Baahubali duology, The Eternal War brings together fantastic storytelling and cutting-edge animation.. The film is directed and written by acclaimed animation filmmaker Ishan Shukla (Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, Star Wars: Visions – “The Bandits of Golak”) and screenplay by Scott Mosier (The Grinch). Mihira Visual Labs, the studio co-founded by Yarlagadda anchors the film’s animation, visual development, and execution.
The partnership with 88 Pictures brings significant pedigree to the project; the studio is well-regarded for its work on high-profile international titles including DreamWorks’ series Trollhunters, the HBO Max original series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Disney’s animated short An Almost Christmas Story to name a few.
Yarlagadda shared, “We are happy to onboard 88 Pictures as the animation studio partner for our prestigious and most expensive animated film from India. We believe that their expertise and capabilities will allow us to produce a first-of-its-kind, world-class animated feature film from India.”
88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “Baahubali changed the way cinema is perceived and became a defining milestone that turned the tide for Indian live-action filmmaking. Expanding the franchise into an entirely new universe—at a never-seen, never-done scale—through an animated feature created in India for a global audience is set to redefine how the world views Indian animation. We are truly thrilled to be part of this landmark project and to bring it to life under the visionary direction of Ishan Shukla, guided by the experience and leadership of acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”
Shukla expressed, “Eternal War requires a level of visual and emotional precision that can only come from teams who truly understand both craft and intent. Working with 88 Pictures, alongside Mihira Visual Labs, has been a deeply collaborative experience. This association brings together technical excellence and creative sensitivity, enabling us to translate an ambitious vision into a compelling cinematic reality.”
Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 is scheduled for release in 2027
