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.

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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.

MUMBAI: EiPi Media has struck a licensing partnership with Pran’s Features LLP and Toonz Media Group to create AI-powered digital content featuring Chacha Chaudhary and his inseparable sidekick Sabu, signalling a new phase in the monetisation of India’s legacy intellectual property.

Under the agreement, Pran’s Features LLP, the copyright holder of the iconic comic characters created by the late cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, has licensed EiPi Media to develop short-form, AI-driven animated microfilms for branded and platform-native use. The effort aims to preserve the humour, values and visual identity of the originals while adapting them for a digital-first audience.

The initiative sits at the intersection of three converging trends: the untapped commercial potential of India’s legacy IP, a maturing animation and storytelling ecosystem, and AI-led production tools capable of delivering cinematic realism at scale and speed. The resulting content is designed for high engagement across social and digital platforms, with brand integration woven into narrative rather than bolted on.

EiPi Media founder and chief executive Rohit Reddy, said the partnership is about extending cultural relevance, not novelty. “By harnessing AI, we are creating emotionally resonant stories at digital speed, while keeping the characters’ original charm and values intact,” he said, adding that the goal is to build long-term narrative value across platforms and generations.

Pran’s Features LLP director Nikhil Pran, said Chacha Chaudhary has always evolved with changing media, from print to television and now AI-powered animation. “This step allows us to embrace new technology while staying true to a character that became part of everyday cultural literacy across India,” he said.

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Viswanath Rao of Toonz Media Group said the collaboration reimagines the duo as hyper-realistic, performance-driven AI personas built for digital-first platforms, avoiding both dated animation styles and superficial AI gimmicks.

Planned outputs include branded short films, narrative-led brand campaigns and seamless IP integrations across digital ecosystems. In an overcrowded attention economy, EiPi Media is positioning Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu not as revived icons, but as living characters: familiar, trusted and engineered for the future of storytelling.

SINGAPORE: The cauldron of Asian horror just got a potent new ingredient. A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, the animated Singapore–Taiwan–Ireland horror anthology, has welcomed Indonesia’s powerhouse IP studio Kucing Hitam as co-producer, expanding its regional footprint at this year’s Asia TV Forum.

The 90-minute feature, adapted from Chinese-American author and chef Ying Chang Compestine’s acclaimed book, weaves four standalone yet interconnected tales steeped in tradition, terror and food folklore. Already tipped as one of the region’s most anticipated films, the project recently won the NMEA Award at Taiwan Creative Content Fest for its cross-disciplinary creative approach.

Kucing Hitam, founded in 2019, has carved a niche in Southeast Asian genre storytelling and is best known for shaping cultural blockbusters such as KKN di Desa Penari, Indonesia’s highest-grossing horror film. The company has built a strong IP pipeline by nurturing creators with massive grassroots followings, and in recent years it has expanded decisively into film production and original IP development.

Founder Charles Johannes said the anthology resonated deeply with Indonesia’s current wave of horror storytelling, which blends tradition with contemporary anxieties. He said the team was eager to help broaden the film’s global reach.

Kucing Hitam brings a track record linked to more than US $20 million in cumulative Indonesian box office revenue. For the film’s Indonesia-set segments, LMN VFX in Jakarta and Indonesia–Singapore investment firm Goshen Group will join the production team.

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Singapore’s Mediacorp has supported the project from its earliest days, backing it during its infancy as a television pilot under the broadcaster’s Creatives Assembly initiative. Chief customer and corporate development officer, Angeline Poh, praised the project’s evolution from local concept to international collaboration.

Further strengthening the film’s finish is Telegael, the award-winning Irish studio under the Toonz Media Group, which will lead post-production. The partnership brings European technical finesse to the heart of Asian storytelling, enhancing the film’s global appeal.

Robot Playground Media co-founder Ervin Han, who created the project, said Kucing Hitam’s instinct for Asian horror adds depth to the film’s lore, while producer Justin Deimen emphasised the franchise potential of the Banquet universe across formats and brand partnerships.

For Indonesia specifically, Goshen Group’s managing director Allen Jordan noted that the film’s twin themes of food and fear make it a natural fit for local audiences.

A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts is expected to haunt theatres in early 2027, with Toonz Media Group and Robot Playground Media steering regional pre sales as the project returns to its Asian creative roots.

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