Mumbai : 7 October 2026

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and YouTube are marking a key milestone in the Create with AI programme, announced in November 2025 to support AI-led creative projects and strengthen India’s capabilities in emerging technologies. The programme has now debuted its first four AI-enabled short films, marking a step towards building an ecosystem that can position India as a global leader in AI-led filmmaking.

The four films unveiled at the IICT Theatre in Mumbai today, were also released by the filmmakers on their YouTube channels at the same time. These films showcase a diverse range of subjects and storytelling approaches, spanning history, mythology, human emotion and space exploration, while demonstrating the creative possibilities of AI-enabled filmmaking.

‘Chekavar’ by Avium Studios is a fictional cinematic story set against the historic Battle of Colachel in 1741, drawing inspiration from the land, people, courage and martial traditions of the era.

‘CHANAKYA – The Mind of an Empire’ by Eleventh Door Studio is a historical epic exploring the untold journey of Chanakya, the philosopher, strategist and architect of the Mauryan Empire.

‘DEVI: The Nine Astras’ by Kalpanik Films portrays the divine manifestation of Shakti and her epic battle to restore cosmic balance.

‘Laika by Karthik Kult Kreations’ shows the emotional journey of a dog sent into space, exploring themes of courage, sacrifice and the bond between humans and animals against the backdrop of space exploration.

These films demonstrate that AI is most powerful when it expands creative possibilities while the filmmaker remains firmly at the centre of the storytelling process. The Create with AI programme was designed as a hands-on experiment to bring together Google and YouTube’s AI technologies, IICT’s infrastructure and faculty mentorship, and the imagination of filmmakers.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO, IICT, Dr. Vishwas Deoskar said, India has the opportunity to lead the next chapter of AI-led filmmaking. The Create with AI programme brings together institutional mentorship and access to advanced AI tools, giving Indian creative studios the opportunity to experiment, build capabilities and develop new filmmaking workflows. This is an important step towards creating an ecosystem that can place India at the forefront of AI-driven storytelling, he added.

Highlighting the potential of generative AI for creators, Managing Director, YouTube India, Ms Gunjan Soni said, India has always been an extraordinary storytelling nation, but we are now seeing independent creators build production powerhouses on their own terms. “Our partnership with IICT demonstrates what happens when fearless Indian storytelling meets frontier technology to produce world-class cinema on an independent scale”, she stated.

The dignitaries present on the occasion included the senior officers of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including Director General (West Zone), Ms Smita Vats Sharma; Joint Secretary, Minstry of I & B, Shri Senthil Rajan; MD of NFDC, Shri Prakash Magdum and CEO of CBFC, Shri Rajendra Singh. 

Please scan the link below for more details on the AI movies showcased in the event.

Generative AI fundamentally removes production bottlenecks, thereby giving creators valuable time back to focus on writing, world-building, and craft. According to a new Gen Media India report by Public First and Google, generative media tools offer a 20% productivity boost for creative workers in India. That translates to saving roughly 390 hours every year, effectively giving creators nearly ten full weeks back just to focus on writing, world-building, and refining their craft.

About IICT:

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) is India’s National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR), established with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, Government of Maharashtra, FICCI and CII. Its first campus began functioning at the NFDC Complex in July 2025, while a permanent 10-acre campus is being developed at Film City, Goregaon. IICT currently offers 18 courses and has partnerships with leading global technology and media companies.

PIB Mumbai | Sriyanka Chatterjee/ Edgar Coelho / Priti Malandkar

 

Follow us on social media :@PIBMumbai    /PIBMumbai    /pibmumbai  pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com  /PIBMumbai    /pibmumbai

 

(Release ID: 2320332) Visitor Counter : 139