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Mayavi Entertainment Seeks to Democratize Indian Film IP Ownership with Tokenized Equity

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  //media-entertainment.news-articles.net/content/ .. ian-film-ip-ownership-with-tokenized-equity.html
  Published in Media and Entertainment on Monday, December 22nd 2025 at 14:22 GMT by ThePrint

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Mayavi Entertainment: A New Paradigm for Indian Film‑IP Ownership and Financing

Mayavi Entertainment, a Mumbai‑based startup, has recently announced a bold plan to “massively disrupt and alter the Indian film industry” by redefining how intellectual property (IP) is owned, financed and monetised. The company’s launch event, streamed live on its website and heavily promoted on social media, revealed a technology‑driven model that blends tokenised equity, crowdfunding and data‑analytics to give creators and audiences an unprecedented say in the life cycle of a film. Below is a detailed, 500‑plus‑word summary of the key points, supporting context and the broader implications discussed in the original article on ThePrint.

1. The Problem: Gate‑keeping and Cash‑flow Bottlenecks

Mayavi’s founders—an ex‑executive of a leading Bollywood studio, a fintech entrepreneur and a blockchain developer—identified two major pain points in India’s film‑economy:

Mayavi’s tagline “Democratise IP Ownership” is essentially a promise to decentralise these entrenched structures.

2. The Solution: Tokenised Film‑IP and a Platform Ecosystem

a. Tokenised IP

The core of Mayavi’s offering is a tokenised version of film IP. Each film is represented by a smart‑contract‑based token—called an MAYAI token—issued on the Polygon blockchain. Token holders receive:

• Revenue share – a pre‑defined percentage of all downstream revenue (digital, theatrical, TV, merchandising).
• Decision rights – a limited voting right on certain post‑production decisions (e.g., distribution platform choice).
• Collectible perks – early‑access, signed memorabilia, and meet‑and‑greet passes that can be traded on secondary markets.

This model transforms the once‑monolithic “one‑owner, one‑profit” paradigm into a “many‑owners, shared‑profit” ecosystem.

b. Crowdfunding & Micro‑Investment

Mayavi’s Mayavi Crowdfunding (MCC) allows ordinary audiences to buy fractions of a film’s token package as low as ₹500. The platform sets a minimum funding target of ₹2 crore (roughly US$270,000) to trigger production. If the target is met, the production proceeds; if not, all invested tokens are refunded. The model:

• Spreads risk across thousands of micro‑investors.
• Builds a pre‑sale audience that has a vested interest in the film’s success.
• Generates marketing buzz through the “token‑holder” community.

c. AI‑Driven Analytics for Smart Financing

Mayavi also leverages a proprietary AI engine that evaluates each script against a dataset of successful Indian films. The engine generates a “Market Fit Score” (MFS) that informs:

• Funding allocation – how much capital a project should receive to maximize ROI.
• Target audience profiling – which demographics are likely to watch the film.
• Distribution strategy – theatrical versus OTT first.

The MFS is publicly displayed on the platform, allowing potential token holders to make informed decisions.

3. Partnerships & Pilot Projects

Mayavi’s launch event announced collaborations with several key players:

Two pilot projects are already in the pipeline:

1. “Desert Dreams” – A bilingual (Hindi–English) romance set in Rajasthan, targeting urban youth.
2. “Katha Kavi” – A biopic on a contemporary social media influencer, exploring digital culture.

Both projects aim to raise ₹3 crore each via tokenised crowdfunding, with the first token sale scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025.

4. Regulatory and Legal Considerations

Tokenised IP sits at a grey area of Indian securities law. Mayavi’s legal counsel, based in Bengaluru, clarified that:

• Tokens are structured as utility tokens rather than securities, focusing on revenue sharing rather than dividend claims.
• All token sales comply with the RBI’s “Know‑Your‑Customer” (KYC) and anti‑money‑laundering (AML) guidelines.
• A transparent “Investor Protection Protocol” (IPP) is in place, ensuring that token holders receive periodic audited financial reports.

The startup is also in talks with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a potential “Alternative Investment Market” (AIM) classification if the model proves scalable.

5. Broader Implications for the Indian Film Ecosystem

a. Democratisation of Creative Power

By allowing everyday fans to become fractional owners, Mayavi could dramatically shift the creative equation. Filmmakers might enjoy greater creative freedom if they no longer rely on a small number of financiers demanding formulaic outputs.

b. New Revenue Streams for Filmmakers

Revenue‑sharing tokens create a continuous income model, as opposed to the one‑off box‑office receipts. Even long after theatrical release, token holders earn from digital downloads, streaming royalties, and merchandise, providing a stable incentive for filmmakers to keep content fresh.

c. Increased Audience Engagement

Token holders are part of an “investment community” that receives exclusive updates, behind‑the‑scenes content and limited‑edition collectibles. This deepens fan loyalty and can drive repeat viewership across multiple platforms.

d. Data‑Driven Content Creation

Mayavi’s AI engine can reveal genre gaps, audience preferences and revenue trends, enabling producers to target underserved segments (e.g., regional language thrillers, science‑fiction in Hindi). Over time, this could broaden the diversity of stories seen on Indian screens.

6. Criticisms and Skepticism

While the platform’s vision is compelling, several caveats were raised during the launch:

• Token Volatility – The secondary market for MAYAI tokens may be illiquid, potentially leading to price swings that affect investor confidence.
• Risk of ‘Token‑Hoarding’ – A small group of early adopters could amass large stakes, reducing the truly “democratic” nature of the model.
• Legal Uncertainty – Despite regulatory workarounds, future changes in securities law could reclassify tokens as securities, triggering stricter compliance.

Mayavi has pledged to address these concerns by introducing lock‑up periods, anti‑whale mechanisms and a continuous dialogue with regulators.

7. Takeaway

Mayavi Entertainment’s tokenised IP platform represents a bold experiment at the intersection of film, finance and technology. By offering fractional ownership, revenue‑sharing and AI‑driven decision support, it promises to:

1. Disintermediate traditional gatekeepers.
2. Expand access to funding for indie filmmakers.
3. Create a more engaged, participatory audience.

Whether the platform can realise its lofty claims will depend on execution, regulatory clarity and market reception. For now, Mayavi has set a provocative agenda: film‑making should not be the preserve of a handful of financiers, but a collaborative, community‑driven endeavour. Only time—and the market’s response—will tell whether this new paradigm can become a mainstream reality in the Indian film industry.