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
Film Production
AqyIon Nexus Reports Profit for Q3
Quarterly profit Rs 148 lakhs after debt repayment and asset sales.
MUMBAI: In a plot twist worthy of its television roots, AqyIon Nexus Limited, the rebranded avatar of Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network has flipped the script on its finances, zapping away old woes with a jolt of quarterly profits.
Picture this, a company once tangled in debt webs, now emerging like a phoenix from the pixels. On 11 February 2026, the board, under managing director Srivatsava Sunkara, greenlit the unaudited results for the quarter ending 31 December 2025, revealing a revenue from operations of Rs 494.57 lakhs, a hefty leap from Rs 236.09 lakhs the previous year. Total income clocked in at Rs 494.65 lakhs, while the nine-month tally hit Rs 966.00 lakhs, up from Rs 470.88 lakhs.
But here’s the electrifying bit: profit before exceptional items surged to Rs 148.06 lakhs for the quarter, flipping last year’s modest Rs 11.55 lakhs gain. Factor in an exceptional item, a Rs 1,543.59 lakhs windfall from selling Andheri properties as per a 2023 NCLT resolution plan and the nine-month profit after tax dazzles at Rs 1,375.10 lakhs, a stark contrast to the prior period’s Rs 2,249.11 lakhs loss.
Expenditures? They tell a tale of tightening belts. Cost of materials consumed stood at Rs 275.00 lakhs for the quarter (nine months: Rs 690.00 lakhs), employee benefits at a slim Rs 4.16 lakhs (nine months, Rs 10.72 lakhs), and finance costs at Rs 34.06 lakhs (nine months, Rs 238.31 lakhs). Depreciation hummed along at Rs 1.44 lakhs quarterly (Rs 7.44 lakhs over nine months), with other expenses at Rs 31.94 lakhs (nine months, Rs 188.02 lakhs). Total outgoings?Rs 346.60 lakhs for the quarter, Rs 1,134.49 lakhs for nine months.
Auditors from Hitesh Shah & Associates gave a nod with caveats, noting the full repayment of bank liabilities sans a No Dues Certificate from Central Bank of India, pending tax impacts, and a going-concern basis despite current liabilities outpacing assets and negative other equity (pegged at -Rs 3,680.89 lakhs annually). Yet, management’s betting on new promoters’ support to keep the show running.
Earnings per share? A positive 0.58 for the quarter (nine months, 5.42), based on Rs 2,537.31 lakhs paid-up equity. Operating in the lone realm of content production and distribution, AqyIon’s narrative is no longer a sob story, it’s charging forward, proving that even in Mumbai’s bustling media maze, a name change and asset shuffle can ion-ise a comeback. Watch this space; the credits aren’t rolling yet.
