Mumbai’s 88 Pictures To Lead Animation On ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War,’ India’s Most Ambitious Animated Feature Yet

India’s animation industry is taking a bold step onto the global stage with Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1, a cinematic undertaking that could redefine the country’s role in big-budget, performance-driven animation, and Mumbai’s 88 Pictures will be the animation studio to lead it there.

The animated expansion of one of India’s most iconic cinematic franchises has officially appointed 88 Pictures as the lead animation studio, not in a service role but as the principal creative force behind the entire animation production.

The studio will be responsible for establishing the film’s visual language, performance animation, and large-format action storytelling at a scale rarely attempted within India’s homegrown animation ecosystem.

Produced by Arka Mediaworks and directed by Ishan Shukla, known for Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust and the Star Wars: Visions short The Bandits of Golak, The Eternal War represents an exciting evolution of the Baahubali universe. It is designed for global audiences and structured to compete alongside major international animated features while appealing to long-time fans of the IP.

This is not merely a franchise extension. As we previously reported, when the first trailer debuted, the project is a landmark moment in India’s growing ambition to tell large-scale cinematic stories through animation with blockbuster production values. Entrusting 88 Pictures with full production responsibility is a historic choice for the company and for the country.

Arka Mediaworks co-founder Shobu Yarlagadda has emphasized that the collaboration aims to deliver India’s most expensive and technically sophisticated animated feature to date, driven by a creative partnership rather than a traditional outsourcing model.

For 88 Pictures founder and CEO Milind D. Shinde, the project marks a turning point:

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 added:

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.

If successful, Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 could mark a generational shift in India, moving it from a mostly service-only industry to a global production hub for high-profile, high-production-value animated cinema.