New Delhi: India’s media and entertainment sector is experiencing a massive evolution. In recent decades, Indian studios and artists have been playing a significant role in international films and digital content creation, including VFX, animation, and post-production work. Yet most of the time, the work was still executed-based as the Indian talent participated in projects initiated and owned by the international studios.
However, the new generation of creative entrepreneurs wants to change that and focus on the ownership and originality of the products from India. Among those businesses taking steps towards it is Kayhan Entertainment, a studio launched by creative duo Dalbir Singh and Arushi Govil.
The startup positions itself as an integrated IP-led ecosystem with a strong focus on storytelling, animation, visual effects, and creative exports. By producing original content and nurturing creative talent, the founders of the studio hope to contribute to India’s Orange Economy.
Dalbir Singh and Arushi Govil bring a lot of experience in the international entertainment industry to their entrepreneurial efforts. Dalbir Singh has more than 15 years of experience in the industry as a VFX artist and filmmaker. He worked on internationally popular films such as Avengers: Endgame, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and Venom. As one of the founders of Kayhan Entertainment, he is responsible for leading the creative direction and world-building vision of the studio.
Arushi Govil is a professional producer with a portfolio that includes some of the biggest names in the industry, including MPC, Framestore, and DNEG. Some of her notable works include such films as Tenet, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva. Within the studio, she is in charge of production systems and operational execution.
Commenting on the reasons for launching the new business, the founders mentioned a major gap that they found in India’s AVGC sector, which stands for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics. While India managed to develop strong execution capabilities and technical skills in the sphere, there wasn’t enough focus on the ownership and building of original IP.
The idea behind Kayhan Entertainment is to combine storytelling, technology, and ownership to make India’s creative industries grow and prosper. Rather than participating in the global projects, they are trying to build stories originating from India and reaching other countries through different platforms and channels.
The transition of the founders from working in international studios to launching their own business was driven by their conviction that India has everything required to create globally relevant stories – talent, cultural heritage, and creative capability. They firmly believe that India’s future in the entertainment sector relies not only on service-based work but on owning long-lasting franchises and scalable creative assets.
The path of Kayhan Entertainment so far was concentrated mostly on building capabilities and creating original content. An important milestone of the company has been the launch of the project “Chote Tara Ka Bada Gadar” on ZEE Entertainment Enterprises’s KidZee platform. The project demonstrated how cultural stories can be told and become successful for the mainstream audience in India.
Another upcoming project that is currently in development is the IP “FAB 5.” It is positioned as a scalable character-led franchise with a long-term potential. Apart from these projects, Kayhan is working on a pipeline of children’s content and regional language stories suitable for multiple platforms.
The long-term vision of the company is to evolve into a globally relevant storytelling enterprise, contributing to India’s overall creative economy through enabling owners of IP and ideas to grow and scale.
In order to achieve this vision, Kayhan is building its business around several verticals. While media and storytelling is still the main focus of the business, they also plan to extend their work in the fields of licensing, merchandise, immersive experiences, AR/VR content, and distribution. One more key aspect of the future strategy of the company is the development of an IP incubator.
One of the pillars of the ecosystem of Kayhan Entertainment is Macra Academy, a talent development platform of the studio. The academy focuses on training of students in animation, VFX, gaming, and digital storytelling by giving them access to the real-world production environment.
The founders of Kayhan are convinced that there is a considerable gap between the education system and the needs of the industry. Macra Academy is aiming to fill this gap by providing students with the practical knowledge along with the industry-relevant workflows and exposure to innovative technologies, including AI-driven creative tools.
Moreover, the initiative is striving to provide students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with greater access to opportunities.
