**Executive Summary**
On 21 June 2026, the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2026) hosted the world premiere of *Bharati Aur Bibo*, a Hindi animation series produced by NFDC and Puppetica Media. Directed by Sneha Ravishankar, the series is designed as "edutainment" to introduce children to the legacies of India's women icons. Journalists and bloggers are invited to contact the MIFF media desk for filmmaker interactions.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Series Production and Vision**
* The project is a collaboration between the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Puppetica Media.
* Director Sneha Ravishankar describes the series as a milestone that presents women's stories in their unedited form.
* The narrative follows a young girl named Bharati and her magical companion Bibo, who represents the female version of "Bharat."
**Themes and Representation**
* The series celebrates women in diverse everyday roles, including drivers, caregivers, farmers, gymnasts, and artists.
* It utilizes a feminist approach to storytelling, focusing on gender balance and the emotional costs of the subjects' journeys.
* Episodes address realistic themes such as widowhood, marriage, and the defiance of social stereotypes.
**Featured Historical Icons**
* **Ahilyabai Holkar:** Focuses on the Maratha queen’s administrative wisdom, diplomacy, and leadership lessons learned from her mother-in-law.
* **Rani Durgavati:** Depicts the Gondwana queen’s defiance of the Mughal Empire and her choice of death over surrender.
* **Rani Rashmoni:** Highlights the Kolkata reformer’s challenges to the East India Company, her push for social reforms like banning polygamy, and her fight against religious patriarchy.
* **Saalumarada Thimmakka:** Portrays the Karnataka environmentalist and Padma Shri recipient who nurtured hundreds of trees as her own children despite a lack of formal education.
**Impact Analysis**
**Children and Young Students**
**Impact**
The series provides an accessible and engaging medium for children to learn about historical female figures whose legacies risk being forgotten.
**Action Required**
Engage with the "edutainment" content to value and carry forward the contributions of these women icons.
**Journalists, Bloggers, and Vloggers**
**Impact**
Media professionals have the opportunity to interview filmmakers and create content around this significant cultural premiere.
**Action Required**
Reach out to miff.mediadesk@pib.gov.in with the subject line "Take One with PIB" to schedule interviews or interactions.
**NFDC and Puppetica Media**
**Impact**
The collaboration establishes a benchmark for producing high-quality, culturally relevant animation in Hindi.
**Action Required**
Continue to utilize the MIFF platform and social media (using #MIFF2026) to promote the series and its educational objectives.
Key Entities Referenced
Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF): The 19th edition of the international film festival in Mumbai that served as the platform for the world premiere of the animation series 'Bharati Aur Bibo'.
Bharati Aur Bibo: A Hindi animation series produced by NFDC profiling Indian women icons like Ahilyabai Holkar and Rani Durgavati as an edutainment initiative for children.
National Film Development Corporation (NFDC): The central agency under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting responsible for the production and collaboration of the animation series.
MIFF 2026 Hosts World
Premiere of Bharati Aur Bibo,
Animated Tribute to Bharat’s
Women Icons
Mumbai, 21 June 2026
The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2026) hosted the World Premiere of Bharati Aur
Bibo, a Hindi animation series produced by NFDC and Puppetica Media, directed by Sneha
Ravishankar. Introducing the series, Ravishankar called it a huge milestone, noting NFDC’s
collaboration on the project. The series begins with a disclaimer that the women’s stories are
presented in their unedited form, as a tribute to these great women of Bharat.Told through young Bharati and her magical companion Bibo — her name representing the female
version of Bharat — each episode opens with a chorus celebrating women in everyday roles as drivers,
caregivers, Kathak dancers, farmers, gymnasts, and artists, carrying the universal refrain: “Nari mein
Devi mein, mujhse hai sabkuch, mujhme hai sabkuch”. This diverse presentation refuses to stereotype
the image of great women.
The series profiles four real-life women icons of India. Ahilyabai Holkar depicts the Maratha queen’s
rise from the royal household of Indore to one of administrative wisdom and diplomacy, with women
as nourishers reflected through her mother-in-law, who taught her the lessons of strong leadership.
Rani Durgavati traces the Gondwana queen’s reign and her defiance of the Mughal Empire under
Akbar — dismissed by his men with the words “Wo to mehaj ek aurat hai,” before her resolve forced
their recognition of her power. The episode closes on her choosing death over surrender, a legacy
honoured through Jabalpur’s Rani Durgavati University. The animator subverts the colour pink, usually
tied to fragile femininity, recasting it as a fierce army of courage.
Rani Rashmoni follows the Kolkata social reformer who challenged the East India Company, built
public welfare infrastructure, and pushed reform alongside Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, including a law
banning polygamy. The episode also challenges religious patriarchy through priests’ refusal to perform
puja at the Dakshineshwar temple because it was built by a woman.
Saalumarada Thimmakka, distinct in tone from the royal narratives, portrays the Karnataka
environmentalist who, denied formal education and married off young, went on to plant and nurture
hundreds of trees as her own children, later honoured with the Padma Shri.
Across episodes, the series weaves in honest portrayals of widowhood, marriage, and the quiet
emotional costs borne by these women. A subtle nuance of the storytelling is its gender balance,
resisting a purely matriarchal framing in favour of a feminist approach.
The edutainment format makes history both accessible and engaging for young minds. At a time when
the legacies of such heroic women of Bharat risk fading from memory, Bharati Aur Bibo serves as a
reminder for children to know, value, and carry forward their contributions.* * *
PIB Team MIFF | Mahesh Kumar/Arushi Kumari/Darshana Rane
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