On the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor today, as India marks the triumphant strike against the Pakistan-based terror camps, production house Bihar Film Company has secured the official rights to use the title Operation Sindoor for a film. The company is backed by Ankit Singh and Sangram Singh.

The title had drawn massive interest, with over 150 applications submitted to the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA).

Confirming the development, IMPPA president Abhay Sinha says, “There were several applications for this name, but it was allocated to the first applicants who wished to register it.”

Among others who applied was filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who had earlier announced that he had acquired the rights to make a film based on the book Operation Sindoor: The Untold Story of India’s Deep Strikes Inside Pakistan by Lt Gen KJS ‘Tiny’ Dhillon. “Vivek Agnihotri has been given two titles, Kashmir Files 2 and The Night of Operation Sindoor,” says Sinha.

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The title has been given to Bihar Film Company by producers Ankit Singh and Sangram Singh. There were several applications for this name but it was allocated to the first applicants who wished to register the title.

- ABHAY SINHA, PRESIDENT, IMPPA

Last year, after the Army’s press conference on Operation Sindoor, producers rushed to register film titles on the operation, prompting industry bodies to urge applicants to stop registering variations. The producers, however, did not stop.

Almost a year on, more than 150 titles related to Operation Sindoor are still pending.

Abhay Sinha, president of the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA), shares that no producer has yet been allotted the title. He explains, “We have over 150 applications for ‘Operation Sindoor’ and its variations, but none has been approved. As the volume of applications for a single title was so high, we decided to defer a decision. There are also five to seven film title applications for the Pahalgam attack.”

Studios that have announced projects on the operation have continued to follow up with the body, he said.

A decision is expected at a meeting next week, where titles will be allotted, which is on a first-come, first-served basis. Trade analysts and industry insiders say they are not aware of many films actually going into production.

Industry insiders say titles are snapped up after major incidents, but few projects move beyond the announcement stage. Despite the rush for registration of film titles, only two films on Operation Sindoor have been formally announced.

Industry insiders say that registering titles is like a gold rush after an important incident, but what actually gets made is only a small fraction of what is registered.

T P Aggarwal, former IMPPA president, explains, “Our producers sometimes want to take advantage of publicity. They register titles only for publicity. If a big producer registers a title, it usually means they will make a film, but most of the time, after an incident, small producers from regional industries rush to register titles without intending to make a film. Sometimes they sell these to bigger banners for credit.”

Veteran trade analyst Raj Bansal adds, “Most producers just take advantage of a situation and, in a rush, register titles, but a film never actually gets made. They announce the film, and once the discussion dies down, it goes into cold storage. What gets made is a fraction of the titles registered.”

Recently, Salman Khan’s film Battle Of Galwan underwent a title change. After the Galwan attack, producers had rushed to register that title as well.

T P Aggarwal shares, “Of course, if the Army says you have to change the title, then you have to. We should not have registered a title like ‘Galwan’ in the first place. Some time back, we were also discussing that for films based on operations or sensitive geopolitical issues, such titles should not be registered. I don’t know why it was registered.”

Abhay Sinha adds, “Yes, ‘Battle Of Galwan’ was given another title, Maatrubhumi: May War Rest In Peace. But as we do not have any orders not to give titles on operations, we will proceed with our system and allot titles accordingly.”

A year later, as per official announcements, only two films are being made. Last month, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri announced that he would be making a film on Operation Sindoor with T-Series, based on Lt Gen KJS ‘Tiny’ Dhillon’s (retd.) book Operation Sindoor: The Untold Story of India’s Deep Strikes Inside Pakistan.

He wrote on X, “Rooted in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and backed by extensive, ground-level research in collaboration with multiple wings of the Indian Armed Forces, this is a story drawn from reality – not to create noise, but to confront it: with facts, with clarity, and the magic of cinema.”

A source shares, “There are rumours that Varun Dhawan has been contacted to play a role in this film.”

A source associated with The Terror Report shares, “The Terror Report , which was announced as a film on major terror attacks in India spanning from 1998 to 2025, was originally only on the Pahalgam attack. However, to avoid a clash with the film based on Lt. Gen. ‘Tiny’ Dhillon’s book the script is being modified. At present, the film is at the scripting stage.”

Trade analyst Girish Johar says, "From industry buzz, I am not aware of any films being released in next couple of months. We have only heard about a couple of films which are at script stage."

Singham Again and Pushpa 2: The Rule are among the releases impacted by this directive

In January, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) floated a draft of accessibility guidelines that aims to make cinemas more accessible to the visually and hearing impaired. Now, as one of the first steps towards its implementation, the I&B Ministry and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) have issued a directive that all films will have to be submitted to the CBFC with accessibility features for persons with hearing and visual impairments. From September 15, the body will not accept applications that don’t fulfil these criteria.

Abhay Sinha, President, Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA), says the directive was shared with the body in the first week of August when the CBFC held a meeting with Sushma Shiromanee, Vice-president, IMPPA.

The mandate applies to Indian as well as Hollywood offerings. Sinha states, “It was a sudden decision, but a welcome one as this means the visually and hearing impaired can also enjoy movies at theatres. We informed all our members through a letter on August 10. It has become compulsory to submit all films for certification with accessibility features like subtitles, audio file and audio description.”

Per the implementation schedule, all feature films, which are to be certified in more than one language, would be required to provide at least one accessibility feature each for the hearing impaired and visually impaired from mid-September. Feature films submitted for the National Film Awards, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and other film festivals organized by the I&B Ministry must include closed captions and audio description with effect from January 1, 2025.

While the rule doesn’t apply to releases before September 15, Sinha reveals that the IMPPA has requested the CBFC to make exceptions in the case of certain regional movies.

“We have requested that regional movies [Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Bhojpuri] be exempted from this directive as the cost of production becomes high for them. We haven’t included south movies in our request.”

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is among the many films being shot in Maharashtra

On March 16, the Maharashtra government announced that shooting of films, documentaries, web series and advertisements will be allowed free of cost on government land in the state from April 1. The decision signals that the state is conducive to film production, making it an attractive and budget-friendly location.

Abhay Sinha, president, Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA), says, “IMPPA was trying to convince the Maharashtra government to do something as producers were running to Uttar Pradesh, which offers huge subsidies. This move will help producers reduce their budgets, and will support the film industry’s growth in the state.”

While shooting will be free of charge, a nominal security deposit of Rs 40,000 for commercials, Rs 1 lakh for TV shows, and Rs 2.5 lakh for films and series will be required. Producers will be able to go through a single-window clearance to shoot anywhere in the state. The new scheme, however, doesn’t cover projects being shot in Film City, Goregaon, and the Film City in Kolhapur.

Sinha adds, “This will be applicable not only for Hindi and Marathi films, but for regional language movies as well.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan is glad that the state government has kicked off the initiative. He says, “Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir have been offering incentives to producers. I guess it’s better late than never.”