Mumbai: Mayavi Entertainment, a new-age film studio headquartered across India and the UAE, has announced its ambitious entry into the entertainment industry with a multi-year slate of 31 films, positioning itself to redefine how films are financed, owned, and monetised in India and beyond. Backed by veteran industry operators, the studio is focused on democratising film financing and transforming intellectual property (IP) into a measurable, governable asset class through the use of emerging technologies such as AI and blockchain.
Built on a rare alliance of experienced professionals across creative, finance, and global distribution, Mayavi Entertainment brings together an accomplished leadership team. Key stakeholders include visual director Chaitanya Sant, known for large-scale productions such as Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, Mary Kom, and Heeramandi; global distributor Rahul Merchant, whose portfolio spans over 75 Indian and international titles including La La Land, Isle of Dogs, Citizenfour, and Jackie; producer and seasoned CFO Deepak R. Nangalia, associated with films like Ringan, Vazandar, 420 IPC, and Gandhi Talks; and visual storyteller Vinay Mahidhar, who brings over 25 years of experience in still and motion photography for brands and films.
Strengthening Mayavi’s four foundational pillars is an experienced support team comprising Trilok Malhotra, a veteran producer associated with over 40 Indian films generating more than USD 700 million in cumulative revenues; Nitin Zanwar, a studio executive with over two decades of experience across Jio Studios, Junglee Pictures, Eros, and YRF, with a focus on multilingual commercial cinema; and Sanjay Dayma, globally recognised as the co-writer and associate director of the Oscar-nominated Lagaan.
The studio is further guided by a distinguished advisory board that includes UAE-based Gaurang Desai, Managing Director of Equiti Securities and Advisor – Financial Markets at the UAE Securities & Commodities Authority, and Dr. Resul Pookuty, Padma Shri awardee and Academy Award of Merit winner for Slumdog Millionaire.
United by a shared vision, the leadership describes Mayavi’s mission as positioning film IP as a structured, institutionally compliant asset class. The studio’s innovative capital strategy enables accredited individuals, financial institutions, and even audiences to collectively participate in a diversified slate of films across languages, genres, and budget ranges. By pooling capital at the slate level, Mayavi seeks to mitigate the concentration risks traditionally associated with single-film investments, while allowing creative decisions to remain insulated from short-term financial pressures.
At the core of this framework is the deployment of responsible tokenisation mechanisms aimed at enhancing transparency, traceability, governance, and reporting. These mechanisms, which offer both utility and financial securities, are being implemented in partnership with SolidusQX, led by Rohit Dalmia, to provide investors with granular visibility into capital deployment and the long-term creation and monetisation of IP value.
Several projects from the 31-film slate are already in advanced stages of development, allowing capital deployment to be phased in line with project readiness. Monetisation strategies span theatrical releases, streaming platforms, satellite rights, and overseas markets. Global distribution planning is being embedded at the greenlighting stage itself, with key focus markets including India, the Gulf, North America, Europe, Australia, and major diaspora territories.
Drawing its name and philosophy from the concept of “MA,” which symbolises imagination and creation, Mayavi Entertainment emphasises accountability toward audiences, creators, and capital providers alike. Through long-term IP stewardship, diversified financing structures, technology-driven processes, and integrated multi-market, multi-platform distribution, the studio aims to build a future-ready cinematic ecosystem designed for sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape.
