Every film carries the work of the people who believed in it. For the Chekavar team, the YouTube Impact Summit on 29 September 2026 in New Delhi became a moment to pause, look back and celebrate that shared journey.
Our writer-director Gijo Uthuppu received “Create with AI” recognition from YouTube and the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), presented by Dr. L. Murugan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs.
Four studios. Four creative journeys.
Avium Studios was one of four studios selected for the “Create with AI” programme, alongside Eleventh Door Studio, Karthik Kult Kreations and Kalpanik Films LLP. Each team explored a different story and its own approach to using AI in filmmaking, animation, visual effects and digital storytelling. Follow the four studios’ journeys through IICT.
For Avium Studios and Garuda X Media, that story was Chekavar: a 30-minute Hindi period drama, written and directed by Gijo Uthuppu, with fictional characters set against the historical Battle of Colachel in 1741.
From an idea to a world on screen.
Creating Chekavar meant finding a way to build its coastal world, ships and battle sequences while keeping the story’s human experience in view. AI became part of the production process, alongside filmmakers’ choices about performance, framing, editing, music, sound and colour.
This recognition is a shared milestone for the artists, technicians and collaborators at Avium Studios and Garuda X Media. We are grateful to everyone who contributed their time, skill and belief to the film.
Our thanks to YouTube and IICT for the opportunity, and to Dr. L. Murugan for presenting the recognition. We carry this moment forward with gratitude—and with the same commitment to the story that brought us here.
