Hindi
Kshay voted best narrative feature at IFFLA
MUMBAI: Of late, a spate of India-made films has been doing the rounds at international film festivals and has been suitably rewarded.
One such film is director Karan Gour‘s Kshay, an intense psychological study of a woman‘s obsession with an unfinished statue of the Goddess Lakshmi. Shot in stark black-and-white, the film has travelled to four international film festivals already with many more in the offing. The film recently won the ‘Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature‘ at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA).
Said producer Shaan Vyas,” Kshay has taken us four years to complete and was made with a two-man crew at most times: the director Karan Gour and the Director of Photography Abhinay Khoparzi. The film is about obsession made by an obsessive person and, more importantly, the larger issues it addresses of materialistic obsession and blind faith in religion that are very relevant in today‘s world.”
And the fact that it probably has the lowest budget of all the feature films at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles makes this win that much more exciting. “It reinforces our belief that you don‘t need big budgets to make a good movie. Four years of Karan and Abhinay‘s relentless effort is paying off now,” said Vyas.
Other award winners were Gemma Atwal‘s Marathon Boy that got the award for best documentary while an honorable mention went to Rajan Khosa‘s Gattu.
The award for the best short went to Neeraj Ghaywan‘s Noise (Shor) and Ravi Kapoor‘s The 5, while actress Meera Simhan won an award for her performance in Sujata, each receiving an honorable mention.
Rajan Khosa took home a second honour of the evening when Gattu won the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature while the Audience Choice award for best documentary went to Gotham Chopra for his Decoding Deepak. Anirban Roy won the Audience Choice Award for best short film for Audacity (Aashprodha), according to a release.
Hindi
Edstead unveils ambitious H1 2026 content slate
New originals feature Adarsh Gourav in Northeast docu-series, Aditi Kotak in Next Class, and Adil Hussain in Stories of India.
MUMBAI: Edstead just dropped a content menu so rich it could make even the pickiest viewer say “encore” because when storytelling meets substance, the binge becomes inevitable. The fast-rising Mumbai-based studio, founded by Shekhar Bhattacharjee, today revealed its H1 2026 slate, a bold expansion of premium non-fiction that blends cultural depth, innovation, and legacy into cinematic factual narratives. The lineup cements Edstead’s niche at the crossroads of authenticity and global appeal, delivering research-driven stories that stay rooted in the Indian experience while aiming for wider resonance.
Headlining the fresh originals:
- An untitled docu-series starring Bollywood actor Adarsh Gourav, who journeys through Northeast India to spotlight living cultural traditions, indigenous voices, music, oral histories, and everyday resilience. Presented by Air India Express, with Dentsu Sports and Entertainment as integration partner.
- Next Class, an eight-episode impact series fronted by entrepreneur and former Miss India Aditi Kotak, decoding career pathways, emerging fields, and real-world outcomes through leading institutions and forward-thinking disciplines.
- Stories of India with Adil Hussain, India’s first weekly OTT series dedicated to social impact, profiling organisations driving meaningful change and connecting purpose with tangible results.
- Toast to Tomorrow, exploring how leading alcohol brands craft immersive, culture-led experiences that celebrate regional identities and redefine legacy.
- No Cap Abroad – UAE Edition, following Indian students through their first week at UAE colleges—navigating homesickness, culture shock, and independence in a heartfelt coming-of-age tale.
Edstead is also returning with expanded seasons of breakout hits, The Future School (progressive Indian education), Molecules of Hope (healthcare innovation), and Great Indian Residential Schools.
Edstead founder Shekhar Bhattacharjee said, “At Edstead, we are focused on building narratives that carry depth, context, and long-term relevance. Every project begins with research and a clear purpose… Our ambition is to create globally competitive factual content from India that remains culturally grounded while shaping conversations, inspiring trust, and contributing to the growing culture economy.”
From education and healthcare to enterprise and cultural revival, the slate reflects Edstead’s full-stack approach developing original IPs and guiding them through a robust distribution network spanning digital, OTT, and broadcast. In a content world chasing quick trends, Edstead is quietly betting on stories built to last, ones that don’t just entertain, but linger long after the credits roll.
