Movies
Paramount+ premieres In Bloom with MTV partnership
Mumbai: Paramount+ announced that an anthology of five compelling short films In Bloom, will premiere on the service globally on Friday, 1 March. Available in tandem with International Women’s Day (Friday, 8 March), the unique collection spans countries and cultures, delving into the complexities of gender issues following characters on the brink of life-defining moments, by choice or circumstance.
In Bloom has been produced by MTV Staying Alive Foundation with continued support of Paramount Global and grant support by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The thought-provoking collection tells unheard stories addressing a range of crucial issues including period poverty, child marriage, gender-based violence, HIV self-stigma, family planning and women’s economic empowerment. The anthology comes from five female filmmakers from Nigeria, Kenya, India, the US and Brazil, creatively championing new voices and enabling insightful conversations to dismantle systemic injustices.
The five films are:
● Period – Like many of her classmates at her underserved school, Fay cannot afford menstrual products, so she sets out on a crusade to get them for free. Written and directed by Nicole Teeny, featuring Yasmina El-Abd.
● Alta – A defiant teenager refusing to come out of the bathroom forces her helpless father to seek help to reason with the girl, but things take a turn when their true relationship is revealed. Written and directed by Priyanka Banerjee, featuring Mazel Vyas.
● Maré – A mother on the edge of her sanity seeks solace from a tumultuous life situation. Written and directed by Giuliana Monteiro, featuring Vanessa Giácomo.
● Kifungo – An ambitious romantic struggles with self-acceptance after finding out that she is HIV positive. written and directed by Voline Ogutu, featuring Brenda Wairimu.
● Aféfé – When her elderly and ailing mother-in-law moves in unexpectedly, life for an impassioned local beautician takes a frightening turn. Written and directed by Dolapo ‘LowlaDee’ Adeleke, featuring Folu Storms.
In Bloom will also premiere on Pluto TV globally on Friday, March 1, prior to a further debut on Friday, March 8, International Women’s Day, on BET and MTV. The anthology will also be available on the In Bloom YouTube Channel in India and Africa.
Alongside the five female directors, In Bloom is executive produced by Georgia Arnold, Richard Chang-Warburton and Sara Piot for MTV Staying Alive Foundation.
The anthology builds upon Paramount’s commitment to make gender equity a focus across the entire ecosystem, a shared journey that the company started long ago, leading to an increased representation of women in leading roles across its content.
Movies
Green Gold Animation creates CG character for Telugu film Rākāsā
Chhota Bheem studio expands into mainstream VFX with dialogue-free digital lead.
MUMBAI: Green Gold Animation, the house that gave India Chhota Bheem, is now stepping out of the kids’ zone and into the big screen with a rather silent but powerful performer. The Hyderabad-based studio’s VFX division has delivered a fully computer-generated character for the upcoming Telugu-language comedy-fantasy thriller Rākāsā, set for theatrical release on 3 April 2026. Directed by Manasa Sharma and produced by Niharika Konidela under Pink Elephant Pictures in collaboration with Zee Studios, the film marks a notable move for Green Gold into complex, character-driven work for mainstream cinema.
What makes the project stand out is its ambitious central character, a completely digital creation that does not speak a single line. Instead, the character relies entirely on animation, movement, facial expressions and body language to convey emotion and connect with audiences. This is a relatively unexplored approach in Telugu cinema at this scale.
Green Gold’s VFX team was involved from early pre-production through to final delivery, completing over 750 CG shots with a team of more than 100 artists. The work included detailed character animation, performance design and fluid simulations, all executed within tight timelines and practical budgets through strong planning and close collaboration.
Green Gold Animation founder & CEO Rajiv Chilaka said the project pushed the team to approach character creation differently. “Building a fully digital character where every emotion had to come through performance and detailing was very meaningful,” he noted.
Green Gold VFX supervisor and VFX creative director Murali Manohar Reddy added that the emotional depth had to be communicated entirely through visual performance. “This wasn’t about reinventing technology, but about using our tools and processes with precision to serve the story,” he said.
Producer Niharika Konidela praised the collaboration, saying the Green Gold VFX team understood the vision and brought strong detail and emotion to the character while working within practical constraints.
The film blends humour, action and mythological elements, following an NRI protagonist on a chaotic and magical adventure. It stars Sangeet Shobhan, Nayan Sarika, Vennela Kishore, Brahmaji and Ashish Vidyarthi, with music by Anudeep Dev.
For a studio best known for colourful kids’ animation, delivering a silent, emotionally expressive CG lead for a mainstream theatrical release is quite the plot twist. With Rākāsā, Green Gold Animation is quietly proving it can speak volumes even without dialogue.
