Content Cabinet
The short answer
India's most awarded ad film production houses right now include Chrome Pictures, named Production House of the Year at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026 and joint Production Agency of the Year at ADFEST 2026; Good Morning Films; Nirvana Films in Bengaluru, whose co-founder Prakash Varma was the 2026 Director of the Year; and Early Man Film, Production Company of the Year in 2025.
Nearly all of the industry's top houses are in Mumbai. Nirvana Films is the best-known house in Bengaluru.
How we picked
We started from the 2026 results of the Good Ads Matter Awards, where production houses compete on film craft, and ADFEST 2026, then added the houses behind some of India's most famous ads. Founding years and credits come from each house's profile on the awards' Ad Makers' Collective directory or its own site. Medal counts are from the Good Ads Matter 2026 results table. Content Cabinet is not on this list.
The twelve, side by side
| House | City | Founded | Known for | Recent recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome Pictures | Mumbai | 2004 | WhatsApp, Dettol, Lay's; the film Badhaai Ho | Production House of the Year, Good Ads Matter 2026 |
| Good Morning Films | Mumbai | 2004 | BGMI, Cadbury Silk, Hindustan Times | 4 Gold, 5 Silver, 2 Bronze, Good Ads Matter 2026 |
| Nirvana Films | Bengaluru | 2001 | Vodafone ZooZoos, Hutch, Ather, Google Pay | Prakash Varma, Director of the Year 2026 |
| Early Man Film | Mumbai | 2013 | CRED with Rahul Dravid, Jindal Steel | Production Company of the Year, Good Ads Matter 2025 |
| The Unicorn Films | Mumbai | 2024 | Goel TMT, Mother Dairy, Coca-Cola | Piyush Pandey Polaris Award 2026 |
| Hungry Films | Mumbai | 2014 | Asian Paints, St. Jude, ICICI Lombard | 4 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, Good Ads Matter 2026 |
| Mothership Productions | Mumbai | 2011 | SleepyCat, Johnson & Johnson, Stayfree | 3 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, Good Ads Matter 2026 |
| Jamic Films | Mumbai | Not published | Chupa Chups, General Insurance Council | Gold for Best Ad (Online), Good Ads Matter 2026 |
| Corcoise Films | Mumbai | 2002 | Fevicol Bus and Sofa, Center Shock | First Indian commercial to win a Cannes Lion |
| First December Films | Mumbai | Not published | Nike Make Every Yard Count, Beauty Tips by Reshma | 7 Cannes Lions for the Nike film |
| Offroad Films | Mumbai | 2011 | Ariel Share the Load, Vicks #TouchOfCare | Four Cannes Lions |
| Not Bad Films | Mumbai | 2024 | Himalaya, Bajaj Freedom, Air India | Gold for AI-integrated film, Good Ads Matter 2026 |
The houses, one at a time
Chrome Pictures
Best for: Performance-led films rooted in everyday Indian life.
Founded by Amit Sharma, Aleya Sen and Hemant Bhandari, Chrome Pictures says it has produced over 7,000 ad films. At the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026 it was Production House of the Year, with Golds for WhatsApp's Baatan Hi Baatan Mein, Dettol's Shaadi Ka Ghar and Lay's Great Chips Begin with Great Soil, and at ADFEST 2026 it shared Production Agency of the Year with Crastos Studios. Amit Sharma also directed the feature film Badhaai Ho.
Check first: the founders direct; ask which director your budget gets.
Good Morning Films
Best for: Cinematic, craft-heavy films for big consumer brands.
By medal count, Good Morning Films had one of the strongest years of any house at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026, led by Golds in direction and cinematography for BGMI's Everybody Loves a Good Fight. In 2025 its Cadbury Bournville and Hindustan Times films were recognised.
Check first: its roster has several directors; see each one's reel.
Nirvana Films
Best for: Warm, simple storytelling, and the best-known house outside Mumbai.
Founded by executive producer Sneha Iype and director Prakash Varma, Nirvana made the Hutch boy-and-pug films and Vodafone's ZooZoos. In 2026 it was second on the production house tally at Good Ads Matter, with Golds for Ather, Vinsmera and Google Pay, and Prakash Varma was named Director of the Year.
Check first: demand for its directors is high; book early around festive and IPL seasons.
Early Man Film
Best for: Offbeat humour and genre-bending ideas.
Founded by producer Anand Menon and director Ayappa KM, Early Man made CRED's 2021 film in which Rahul Dravid loses his cool in traffic, which Ayappa KM directed. It was Production Company of the Year at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2025, with two Grand Prix including one for Jindal's The Steel of India.
Check first: humour is the house style; brief accordingly.
The Unicorn Films
Best for: Emotionally grounded storytelling from a new house.
Founded by producer Avishek Ghosh and director Prosit Roy, The Unicorn Films won 15+ metals at Good Ads Matter 2026, including the first Piyush Pandey Polaris Award for Goel TMT's Band Baaja Bitiya.
Check first: a young house; ask about crew depth for multi-city shoots.
Hungry Films
Best for: Films that mix live action with VFX and animation.
Founded by Vijay Sawant and Dharam Valia, Hungry Films won Gold for Best Animation Film at Good Ads Matter 2026 with Asian Paints' Cholte Cholte Chollish, a tribute to Kolkata, and earlier won for St. Jude India ChildCare Centres and ICICI Lombard.
Check first: agree the VFX scope in writing; it is where these budgets grow.
Mothership Productions
Best for: Quirky, relatable humour that keeps the brand front and centre.
Founded by Kashif Memon, Mothership won Golds at Good Ads Matter 2026 for SleepyCat's Sleep Solves Everything and for the music of Johnson & Johnson's Project Golden Minute. It also makes digital films, corporate films and animatics.
Check first: ask which roster director fits your tone.
Jamic Films
Best for: High-energy, performance-led films with punch.
With directors Nikhil Rao and Shirish Dahiya, Jamic won Gold for Best Ad (Online) at Good Ads Matter 2026 for Chupa Chups' Carrom, and is known for General Insurance Council films. Its brand list includes Asian Paints, Amazon, Flipkart and WhatsApp.
Check first: check the director's comedy reel against your brief.
Corcoise Films
Best for: Culturally rooted films with nuanced performances.
Helmed by Prasoon Pandey and Cyrus Pagdiwala, Corcoise made the Fevicol Bus and Sofa films. Prasoon Pandey's first ad, Ericsson's One Black Coffee in 1996, was the first Indian commercial to win a Cannes Lion, and he and his brother Piyush Pandey were the first Asians to receive the Lion of St Mark.
Check first: legendary houses are in demand; plan well ahead.
First December Films
Best for: Contemporary, product-led films with a strong visual language.
Founded by cinematographer Anup Kattukaran, First December made Nike's Make Every Yard Count, which won 7 Cannes Lions and over 50 international awards, and Ogilvy's Beauty Tips by Reshma, a Gold Lion and D&AD White Pencil winner.
Check first: ask for recent work; its best-known films are from 2015 and 2016.
Offroad Films
Best for: Bold, socially conscious advertising.
Founded by Khalil Bachooali, Offroad made Ariel's Share the Load, Vicks' #TouchOfCare and P&G's Bindi, and counts four Cannes Lions. Its Dove Reclaim Your Curls film won Silver for direction at Good Ads Matter 2026.
Check first: purpose films need a brand that will back the message; be ready for that conversation.
Not Bad Films
Best for: Narrative films and new formats, including AI-integrated work.
Founded by director Afshan Hussain Shaikh, Not Bad Films won Gold for AI-integrated live action film at Good Ads Matter 2026 for Himalaya's Made No. 1 By Babies. Its work also includes Bajaj Freedom and Air India.
Check first: ask how AI was used and who owns the outputs.
Production house or agency?
An advertising agency usually comes up with the idea and writes the script. A production house turns that script into a film: the director, crew, cast, locations, shoot and post-production. Big brands often hire both. Startups and smaller brands increasingly hire a studio that does both, which is cheaper and faster but means one team owns the idea and the execution.
What an ad film costs
Cybertize Media's 2026 guide puts entry-level digital ad films at ₹50,000 to ₹3 lakh, mid-range digital or OTT films at ₹3 lakh to ₹20 lakh, premium TV commercials at ₹20 lakh to ₹75 lakh, and celebrity-led national commercials at ₹75 lakh to ₹2 crore or more. The houses on this list mostly work at the upper end. Our ad film budget guide breaks a quote into its line items.
How to choose a production house
- Choose the director first. You are hiring a person's taste. Watch their last ten films, not the house reel.
- Match the genre. Comedy, emotion and product-led films are different skills.
- Ask for the cost breakdown. Director's fee, shoot days, cast, post and markup, so you can compare houses.
- Check availability. Top directors book out around festive season and the IPL.
Questions people ask
Which is the best ad film production house in India?
By 2026 awards, Chrome Pictures was Production House of the Year at the Good Ads Matter Awards and joint Production Agency of the Year at ADFEST, with Good Morning Films, Nirvana Films and The Unicorn Films also among the most awarded.
Which are the top ad film production houses in Mumbai?
Chrome Pictures, Good Morning Films, Early Man Film, The Unicorn Films, Hungry Films, Mothership Productions, Jamic Films, Corcoise Films, First December Films, Offroad Films and Not Bad Films are all Mumbai-based.
Which is the best ad film production house in Bengaluru?
Nirvana Films, founded in 2001 by Sneha Iype and Prakash Varma, is the best known; it made the Vodafone ZooZoos and the Hutch boy-and-pug films.
Who made the Fevicol ads?
Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films directed the famous Fevicol films, including Bus and Sofa.
How much does an ad film cost in India?
Roughly ₹50,000 to ₹3 lakh for entry-level digital films, ₹3 lakh to ₹20 lakh for mid-range, ₹20 lakh to ₹75 lakh for premium TV commercials and up to ₹2 crore or more with a celebrity, per Cybertize Media's 2026 guide.
Sources
- Manifest Media, Good Ads Matter Awards 2026: Winners
- Adobo Magazine, ADFEST 2026 special awards
- Good Ads Matter, Ad Makers' Collective profiles
- Chrome Pictures
- afaqs, When Rahul Dravid lost his cool courtesy of CRED
- Shots, Prasoon Pandey's crusade for concealed craft
- Onmanorama, Meet Prakash Varma
- Cybertize Media, Ad Film Cost in India 2026
