The AI technology behind Star Plus and JioHotstar series “Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh” is heading to Indonesia. There, developer Galleri5 and fellow Collective company Collective Studios’ Historyverse plan to create film and series properties drawn from the nation’s myths and history.
Historyverse, which handles original IP and studio work for the Collective Artists Network, is partnering with Galleri5 and Singhasari Special Economic Zone on the initiative. Projects will cover mythology, fantasy, history and animation. Indonesian creatives and cultural experts will work alongside Historyverse’s intellectual property development team using Galleri5 production tools based in India.
The first project discussed is “Echoes of Nusantara,” which is the working title of an original mythology-adventure. Historyverse will handle creative development, production and intellectual property packaging, and collaborate with local talent to prepare projects for possible financing, production and distribution outside Indonesia.
“The next global entertainment franchises will not all come from Hollywood,” said Vijay Subramaniam, founder and group CEO of Collective Artists Network. “There are stories in every market that deserve to go further, and Indonesia has an incredible wealth of them. Our goal with Collective Studios’ Historyverse is to work with Indonesian creators to transform these stories into world-class films, series and larger entertainment properties. While Galler5 gives us a new way to approach the scale of filmmaking, creative vision and stories remain at the center.”
Galleri5’s main product, G5 AI Studio, combines more than 200 AI models with tools built specifically for storyboarding, designing characters and worlds, animation, VFX, and film-quality video. More than 10,000 advertisements and videos have been made on the platform. JioStar and Collective Media Network launched “Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh” and Galleri5 built and operated the AI filmmaking technology behind the show. The company is currently developing workflows for Historyverse’s theatrical release, which includes “Chiranjeevi Hanuman – The Eternal” and “Krishna.” These productions provide Galleri5 with a foundation to develop its technology according to real-world creative and production demands.
“The next generation of global cinema will be built on a very different technology foundation,” said Rahul Regulapati, founder and CEO of Galleri5 and partner of the Collective Artists Network. “At Gallery5, we are building on this foundation with G5 AI Studio, bringing leading edge AI models and filmmaking workflows into a single platform. We have already demonstrated what this technology can do through films and television in India. Now, with Indonesia’s incredible creative talent and the Collective’s studio capabilities, we have the opportunity to bring locally rooted stories to audiences around the world.”
For Indonesian creators, this partnership means the chance to pair stories led by local talent and their own original intellectual property with tools to increase production.
Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for economic affairs and chairman of the National Council of Special Economic Zones, said the country has no plans to sit on the sidelines in developing artificial intelligence or act merely as a consumer of the technology. “We aim to help shape this. Special Economic Zones allow us to turn this ambition into real productivity, skilled jobs for our youth and new sources of growth on the path to 8 percent,” he said.
Singhasari will introduce the initiative to Indonesian creators, studios, investors, distributors and creative economy institutions and help establish local partnerships and go-to-market.
CEO of Lokanima and Singhasari Special Economic Zone, KRAT David Santoso KR, said that the Singhasari Kingdom developed eight centuries ago on the lands the region currently occupies. It was a center for engineering, art, scholarship, and government, and its culture was enriched by centuries of contact with India. “Today, together with our partners in India, we are bringing this history back to life, this time by mastering the AI transformation. Our aim is to create a new competitive edge for Indonesia in new technology and digital content sub-sectors, where Indonesian talent and intellectual property are at the core,” he said.
Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty said Ramayana and Mahabharata have been part of Indonesian temple culture, wayang (traditional puppet theatre) and popular imagination for over a thousand years. “Today, India and Indonesia are writing the next chapter of our shared story with artificial intelligence,” he said.