Film Production
SVF earmarks Rs 100 crore for 25 big-ticket movies
MUMBAI: At a glittering ceremony held in West Bengal, the co-founders of SVF Entertainment Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni made an ambitious declaration of producing 25 big-ticket films over the next three years (until 2020), allocating Rs 100 crore for the same–a figure unheard of in Tollywood so far.
The announcement was made at SVF Stories, which aims at becoming an annual gathering bringing notable personalities from the industry under one roof.
SVF co-founder & director Shrikant Mohta said, “At SVF, we have always tried to do our bit to raise the bar for Bengali cinema. Our commitment will not only aim at taking Tollywood to the next level but also serve as a platform to harness fresh young talent in the industry. In fact, with the super success of Amazon Obhijaan, we are excited and motivated to make the third part of the franchise even bigger.”
The three-year journey will also see SVF’s first film with the brilliant filmmaker Mainak Bhowmik titled Generation Aami – a ‘coming of age’ story. Birsa Dasgupta will return with a bang with Crisscross – based on Smaran-jit Chakraborty’s best seller novel as well as Bibhaho Obhijaan– an emotional saga. And Debaloy Bhattacharya will be directing his next with a new take on Byomkesh titled Bidaay Byomkesh.
SVF co-founder & director Mahendra Soni said “We are coming up with movies with diverse genre and themes for old and young alike. The next three years will also see many firsts – we will be expanding into Bangladesh with the release of the first film starring the Bangladeshi superstar Shakib Khan. Siraj-Ud-Daulah will be the first ever war film of Bengal, will also see the debut of new talents and there is plenty in store for the audience to look forward to.”The first edition saw leading celebrities like National Award winning directors Aparna Sen, Srijit Mukherjee and Bengali superstars like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dev, Abir Chattopadhyay and others attending the event.
The exhaustive list of 25 films are as follows:-
Film (Director)
AscheAbarShabor (Arindam Sil)
Finally Bhalobasha (Anjan Dutt)
Total Dadgiiri (Pathikrit Basu)
Generation Ami (Mainak Bhowmick)
Ami AsboPhire (Anjan Dutt)
KakababurProtyaborton (Srijit Mukherjee)
Uma (Srijit Mukherjee)
Two Untitled movies – starring Ankush
Untitled starring Shakib Khan &Nusrat Jahan (Rajib)
Two Untitled movies – starring Yash
Byomkesh Gotro (Arindam Sil)
Siraj – ud – Daulah – (Raj Chakraborty)
Ek Je Chilo Raja (Srijit Mukherjee)
Feluda – (Sandip Ray)
Professor Shonku O El Dorado (Sandip Ray)
Tong Ling – (Raj Chakraborty)
Untitled starring Bonny & Rittika (Rajib)
Bidaye Byomkesh – starring Abir & Sohini – (Debaloy Bhattacharya)
GuptodhanerSandhane (Dhrubo Banerjee)
Ghare O Baire -(Aparna Sen)
Crisscross (Birsa Dasgupta)
BibahoObhijaan – (Birsa Dasgupta)
Shankar’s New Adventure – starring Dev – ( Kamaleswar Mukherjee)
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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
