Animation
Reliance Animation to bring Diego Maradona’s story to life as an animated series
MUMBAI: Reliance Animation has clinched the character IP rights to develop an animated series on the extraordinary life of Diego Maradona, kicking off a prestige project designed for both streaming and television audiences across the world.
The Mumbai studio, part of Reliance Entertainment, is developing a scripted show charting Maradona’s ascent from gritty street football in Buenos Aires to global superstardom. The series promises to dive into the brilliance, the controversies and the cultural firepower that defined one of football’s most iconic figures.
The rights deal was sealed with SATTVICA SA, the Argentina-based custodian of Maradona’s IP, and arranged through Bridge Marketing Group Inc. Details on the writers, directors and distribution partners are set to follow.
Chief executive, Reliance Entertainment, Shibasish Sarkar said the studio aims to introduce Maradona’s legacy to a new generation. His colleague and Reliance Animation head Tejonidhi Bhandare called the endeavour a milestone moment for the company. Representatives of SATTVICA SA said they hope children worldwide will now grow up knowing the story of their brother. Bridge Marketing Group’s leadership added that animation will help extend the legend of Maradona long into football’s future.
The deal was announced on the sidelines of WAVES Film Bazaar at the International Film Festival of India in Goa.
Reliance Animation, with interests spanning production, gaming, music and digital content, now finds itself narrating the tale of a man whose left foot electrified the planet. A story made for drama and destiny, heading straight for screens.
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
