Film Production
SPE inks first Indian co-production deal with Bhansali
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is making an entry into Hindi films. The company today announced that it had inked a deal with noted film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali (of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Black fame) to co- produce Saawariya (Beloved).
“India has a rich and a prolific film history and we at Sony Pictures recognise the potential and importance of the Indian market and welcome the opportunity to team up with the film industry in India. This is a defining moment for us as a company and for filmmakers, artists and audiences in India as well,” said SPE chairman and CEO Michael Lynton.
“Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s body of work has been in a class of its own. From his very first endeavour, Khamoshi, through Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam to Devdas, and his most recent critically acclaimed film, Black, his films have epitomised sensitivity and embodied visual splendour. We are indeed proud to associate with one of India’s most revered directors,” said SPE vice chairman and Sony Motion Picture Group chairman Amy Pascal.
“It marks the dawn of a new and exciting chapter in the life of Sony Pictures Releasing India as it presents a wonderful opportunity to extend our horizons beyond motion picture distribution and interact with the enormous creativity that the Indian film industry has to offer,” said Sony Pictures Releasing of India Ltd general manager Uday Singh.
With Devdas, Bhansali set industry benchmarks by winning several awards at home, the most prominent being India’s official entry to the Oscars. International recognition for Bhansali came when Devdas won the ‘Asian Film Award’ at the MTV Asia Award, received a nomination in the ‘Best Film not in the English Language’ category at the BAFTA, and was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
The greenlighting of a Hindi film by a major Hollywood studio is a landmark for the Indian motion picture business. This co-production encourages the integration of Hollywood and Bollywood.
As the market for Indian cinema continues to grow internationally, SPE’s vast global network will allow Indian film producers to showcase their work outside the home market and acquire greater exposure for their films.
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
