Breaking Down Language Barriers: Brothers Revolutionize Movie Accessibility with Their Universal App

India's film industry, traditionally dominated by Hindi-language movies, has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Films from other languages, especially those from South India, have gained prominence. However, not all movies are available in all languages, creating a language barrier for some viewers. Aditya Kashyap faced a similar situation while in Paris in 2015 when he wanted to watch "Mission Impossible," but the only screenings were in French. This experience inspired him to address the language gap in movie-watching.

In 2016, Aditya Kashyap and his brother Vineet Kashyap embarked on a mission to create a language-agnostic solution, leading to the birth of Cinedubs. In July 2022, Cinedubs launched its app, allowing users to enjoy movies in their preferred language at the cinema, regardless of the language in which the movie is being screened.

Aditya Kashyap, with over 25 years of leadership experience across various industries, partnered with Vineet Kashyap, who brings expertise in software development and product management. Together, they invested around half a million dollars from their savings over several years to develop the app and establish the company.

So, how does Cinedubs work? Users can use the Cinedubs app on their smartphones to download soundtracks of a film in their preferred language before heading to the movie theater. Using patented technology, the app synchronizes the downloaded soundtrack with the movie being shown on the big screen. This synchronization allows users to listen to the movie in their chosen language through their headphones while watching the film in the theater.

Cinedubs has secured rights to 15 movies, including popular titles like "Rocketry: The Nambi Effect," "Sita Ramam," "Karthikeya 2," "Godfather," and more. The startup collaborates with film production houses and content owners to host and distribute original dubbed movie soundtracks in multiple languages.

Initially, convincing the Indian film industry and production houses about Cinedubs was challenging, but the startup has made significant progress by partnering with several prominent production companies.

Cinedubs, based in Gurugram, collaborates with renowned production houses, including Jio Studios, People Media Factory, AAArts, Tricolour Films, and more. The startup is also in discussions with Hollywood production houses such as Warner Bros and Universal Studios to host their films.

While the primary focus of the app is on moviegoers, it can also be used to enhance the movie-watching experience on OTT platforms.

Currently, the Cinedubs app is free to use, but the startup plans to introduce nominal subscription charges starting from mid-next year. The subscription options will include annual, half-yearly, and quarterly plans, offering unlimited movie soundtrack downloads, pay-per-download options, in-app advertising for monetization, and sales of movie-based merchandise.

To date, the app has witnessed over 80,000 film soundtrack downloads by more than 35,000 users worldwide, with 90% of users hailing from India. Cinedubs aims to onboard two million users by FY24-25 and increase that number to 4.5 million by FY25-26.

The startup, currently in the pre-revenue stage, plans to generate revenue by monetizing its subscription base and attracting advertising. It aims to achieve $2.3 million in revenue by FY24-25 and $6.4 million by FY25-26.

Cinedubs faces competition from various players in the film dubbing and localization market, including TheaterEars, Dubverse.ai, SyncSense, and UniDub. The startup appointed actor R Madhavan as its brand ambassador in August 2022.

The global film dubbing market is on the rise, with a market size valued at $3.5 billion in 2022 and expected to expand further at a CAGR of 7.19% until 2018, reaching a total value of $5.3 billion.

In 2022, Cinedubs successfully raised approximately $350,000 in a seed round from friends and family. Currently, the startup is in discussions with investors to secure pre-Series A funding, which will enable it to expand its presence in Indian and Middle Eastern markets. By 2024, Cinedubs also plans to enter the US and European markets.