The IP-led creator duo’s original slate earns top honours for ‘Chote Tara Ka Bada Gadar’ and directorial acclaim for ‘Shivlok Ke Kundakka Mandakka’
Mumbai, 05th September, 2026 : Kayhan
Entertainment, an integrated IP-led ecosystem focused on
original IP ownership and creative exports, has secured two prestigious wins
across six total nominations at the ANN Awards 2026. Spanning creative and
technical categories across its original IP slate, the recognition marks a
major milestone for the studio’s rapid emergence in India’s animation
landscape.
Kayhan converted two of its six nominations into category wins: Winner
for DIGITAL/OTT (National): Best Animated Digital Series (2D) for Chote Tara Ka
Bada Gadar; Winner – TECHNICAL (National): Best Director of a Digital Series
awarded to Arushi Govil & Dalbir Singh for Shivlok Ke Kundakka Mandakka.
The studio’s broader creative slate also earned national competitive
nominations for Best Animated Digital Series (3D): Shivlok Ke Kundakka Mandakka
and Best Director of a Digital Series (Technical): Arushi Govil & Dalbir
Singh for Chote Tara Ka Bada Gadar (Season 1 & 2), Fab 5, and Smart
KidZ.The recognition also extends to the music created for its IPs, with the
title track of Shivlok Ke Kundakka Mandakka, composed and produced by Kayhan
Entertainment, receiving recognition through KidZee/ZEE5. This further reflects
the breadth of creative disciplines that Kayhan is bringing together under its
original IP portfolio
Founded by Dalbir Singh and Arushi Govil, an IP-creator duo, Kayhan
Entertainment is being built around a distinctive creative partnership that
brings together storytelling vision, worldbuilding expertise and production
discipline. The duo's complementary strengths are central to Kayhan's ambition
of creating, owning and scaling original Indian IP for audiences across
platforms and markets. Their approach reflects a broader vision of building an
integrated creative ecosystem where original stories can evolve into long-term
intellectual properties.
Arushi Govil, Co-Founder, Kayhan Entertainment,
said, “For us, storytelling has always started with understanding what makes
people feel, connect and remember a story. These wins are especially meaningful because they
reflect the emotional depth, teamwork and creative effort that goes into
bringing every world and character to life. We want to keep creating stories
that entertain first, while leaving audiences with something that stays with
them. There is so much more we want to build, and this recognition gives us
even more excitement for the journey ahead.”
Dalbir Singh, Co-Founder, Kayhan Entertainment,
said, “These recognitions are an important validation of the business we are
building around original IP. Our focus is not just on creating successful individual
shows, but on building properties that can scale across platforms, formats and
markets and create long-term value. Alongside IP development, we are also
investing in the talent ecosystem through Macra, because building a strong
creative business requires a strong pipeline of skilled creators. Our goal is
to build Kayhan into an Indian IP company with the capability to create, own,
scale and export original content globally.”
The wins come at a significant time for both Kayhan Entertainment and
the wider Indian animation ecosystem. Dalbir Singh also participated in an
Animation Express panel on “Creating Content for Broadcast & Digital” at
the Animation & More Summit 2026, sharing perspectives on the evolving
opportunities for Indian creators and studios to develop original content that
can resonate across platforms and markets.
For Kayhan, ANN Awards wins represent an early milestone in its
journey as an IP-focused creative company. The recognition comes as Indian
animation studios increasingly look beyond execution-led work towards creating
and owning original intellectual property with the potential to travel across
formats, platforms and international markets. With IP ownership at the core of
its strategy, Kayhan Entertainment continues to focus on creating culturally
rooted stories with long-term creative and commercial potential, while
contributing to India's growing animation and digital entertainment ecosystem.
About Kayhan Entertainment
Kayhan Entertainment is a next-generation storytelling studio focused
on building original IP rooted in Indian culture and designed for global
audiences. Operating across animation, VFX, gaming, and digital storytelling,
the studio combines creative vision with world-class production expertise to
create culturally resonant stories with transmedia potential.
With IP ownership at the core of its strategy, Kayhan is committed to
building long-term creative value through original storytelling while
contributing to India's growing Orange Economy. The company is also building a
talent ecosystem through Macra, its training initiative focused on nurturing
the next generation of creators in animation, VFX, gaming, and digital
storytelling. Students will be trained on cutting-edge tools and
next-generation production technologies, ensuring they are equipped to create,
collaborate, and compete in a rapidly evolving global content landscape.