For generations, Prasads has shaped how India watches and remembers cinema. From packed theatres that defined weekend plans to the meticulous preservation of stories on fragile reels, the company has evolved with the industry: from film to digital, from analogue workflows to AI-assisted pipelines. Technologies transformed, audience habits shifted, and content moved across platforms, yet one philosophy remained unchanged: make every frame count. In a conversation with CE, Abhishek Prasad, director & CTO, speaks about carrying forward the family legacy and preparing Prasads for the next era of storytelling.
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How do you balance heritage with today’s evolving entertainment technology?
Being part of the fourth generation of the Prasad family is a privilege and a responsibility. My great-grandfather, LV Prasad, built a legacy rooted in craft, ethics, and a belief that cinema connects people. My role is to preserve that essence while guiding the organisation through an era defined by rapid innovation. Today, storytelling spans digital platforms, immersive experiences, and global collaborations. At Prasads, we’re building integrated workflows that support both heritage preservation and cutting-edge post-production. Whether we’re restoring a classic or delivering masters for theatrical or streaming releases, the approach remains constant: creative integrity powered by technological excellence.
Prasads has evolved from film reels to 8K and beyond. What transitions defined this growth?
Every shift in Indian cinema introduced a transformation. The first major leap was moving from film to digital — we re-engineered our processes from photochemical systems to digital post-production. The second was embracing restoration and preservation at a global scale, enabling us to work with archives and studios across continents. From a single Chennai studio, we’ve grown into a global network across India, the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Collaborations with Kodak, Dolby, and Barco brought world-class tools to Indian filmmakers, while our own R&D, including film scanners and AI-driven workflows — built innovation from within. Today, we operate as an integrated media-tech ecosystem serving the entire content lifecycle: conservation, digitisation, VFX, DI, sound, dubbing, and mastering.
You’ve led innovations like the OxScan 14K and India’s first VR arcade. What inspired these projects?
Both projects emerged from gaps in the market. With OxScan 14K, we wanted a scanner that met global archival standards for the next 50 years, capturing every detail of fragile reels at scale. We built our own GPU-accelerated pipeline and transport mechanism — essentially designing hardware around archival needs. With Area 51, India’s first VR arcade, the goal was to bring immersive tech out of labs and into public spaces. We synchronised real-time rendering, motion tracking, and safety design to make the experience commercially viable. Both innovations prove that technology has value only when it creates meaningful experiences.
With over 30,000 films restored globally, how do you preserve quality and authenticity at scale?
Scale can dilute quality unless systems prevent it. Each restoration begins with research — understanding creative intent, colour references, and available elements. The technical process: scanning, restoring, grading, mastering — happens in calibrated environments to maintain consistency. Cultural context is critical. We work closely with rights-holders, filmmakers, and archivists so that restoration honours the film’s original character. Our role is to restore without rewriting history.
How is AI shaping your creative pipelines?
AI is a powerful collaborator. It assists with repetitive precision tasks: de-noising, scratch removal, and frame interpolation. In grading, machine learning groups shots to maintain visual consistency. Predictive QC and format optimisation help deliver platform-specific masters efficiently. But AI remains a support system. Creativity stays human.
What future technologies excite you?
Our R&D focuses on:
1. AI-assisted preservation — intelligent indexing, metadata extraction, searchable archives
2. Adaptive workflows — automatic optimisation of colour, sound, and compression
3. Immersive storytelling — VR and interactive experiences
4. We are also exploring IP creation through short-format and branded entertainment — bringing together our post-production strengths and new storytelling models.
What does legacy mean to you?
Legacy is continuity. When I see a frame restored, I see decades of artistry and human effort. Our job is to ensure that future audiences experience that vision in its truest form. Tools have changed from reels to code, but the purpose remains: protect the stories that shaped us.
I want to strengthen what Prasads represents — global innovation with Indian values at its core. If I can evolve Prasads into a tech-driven creative ecosystem while preserving integrity, craft, and responsibility, that will be a legacy worth building.