Film Production
Mumbai Film City hikes rental rates, IFTPC to approach Maha govt
Mumbai: Producers of films and TV shows in Mumbai’s Film City received a jolt earlier this month. The Maharashtra Film Stage and Cultural Development Corp (MFSCDC) – which is in charge of the Goregaon-based facility – issued a circular stating that it had revised rentals of studios and outdoor locations on its premises from 1 July.
Some of the large indoor stages including Studio 16 (14,060 sq ft), Studio 7 (10,400 sq ft), Studio 5 (8455 sq ft) and Studio 11 have been seen rate hikes of a massive 53 per cent, 38 per cent, 26 per cent and 29 per cent. Ditto with outdoor locations such as Vishnu Maidan 1 (83,250 sq ft: 87 per cent jump), Josh Maidan 1-2 (1,40,000 sq ft: 57 per cent), Gate No. 1 to Adlab Road/Bus Stop (90,000 sq ft: 102 per cent ), Link Road – 1 (77 per cent) and Link Road – 2 (89 per cent).
This has got the production community’s goose. The Indian Film & Television Producers Council (IFTPC ) – the producers association which has been at the forefront of workers and government negotiations – is currently gathering data from its producer members to present to the Maharashtra deputy chief minister or chief minister on how the hike is going to impact production of TV series in Hindi, Marathi and other languages.
Says IFTPC CEO Suresh Amin: “TV producers are really worried. This kind of rate hike has not happened in the last seven to eight years. TV producers have been faced with reduced or stagnant production budgets over the past two or three years even as they had to invest more to put in place increased Covid protection measures which were quite expensive. The current rate hike will only lead to making producing at Film City unviable as we are unsure whether broadcasters will be supportive and absorb the increased costs.”
“Most TV productions happen in Film City, Goregaon and TV serials shooting takes place 365 days a year,” he adds. “Meanwhile, a film shoot will happen for a maximum of 100 days using different outdoor locations that are largely unaffected by the rate change.”
Some of the popular TV shows currently being filmed at FilmCity include Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and India’s Laughter Champion.
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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
