After two successful seasons, India’s most loved sci-fi thriller franchise, is back this November, as Arré gets set to launch Season 3 of A.I.SHA.
The award-winning A.I.SHA (Artificial Intelligence Simulated Humanoid Assistant) franchise was launched in 2016 and was the first-ever sci-fi thriller series in India. It went on to prove that millennial India is more than willing to explore new genres in entertainment beyond romance and comedy.
A.I.SHA is set at the intersection of the real and virtual worlds, and explores an unusual relationship between artificial intelligence and humanity. It’s a boy meets girl tale, except the girl is an A.I. app. Season 1 told us the story of what happens when technology turns against us, and Season 2 showcased the immense power of A.I. in terms of far-reaching global consequences. Season 3 will push the boundaries of imagination, as we see A.I.SHA transitioning from intelligent technology to a sentient human being by acquiring human form and values.
While the A.I.SHA franchise has garnered global acclaim at several prestigious global festivals such as the LA Web Festival, South Florida Web Festival, CMO Asia Awards, and the Asia Web Awards, it has also created millions of engaged viewers across Arré and its partner platforms in Hindi/English, Tamil, and Telugu.
The six episodes of the new season, will continue the franchise with an ensemble cast – Raghu Ram, Aahana Kumra, Nasir Abdullah, Ruslaan Mumtaz, Auritra Ghosh, Rashi Mal, Adesh Sidhu, and Flora Saini and will play out on the Arré platforms and MX Player, the new streaming app, soon to be launched.
This season is directed by the talented Ajay Bhuyan, who has directed popular films such as Housefull and Dhada in Telugu and Amit Sahni Ki List and Phir Se in Hindi. Recently, he has directed the popular Telugu Amazon Original GangStars. The season is written by Shiv Singh who has worked with Bhuyan on Amit Sahni Ki List and Dhada. Recently he has worked on Dil Juunglee.
Saikumar, Founder – Arré, said, “A.I.SHA is a special franchise since it was the very first show that Arré launched. We’re thrilled to extend the series to Season 3, given the loyal community of audiences it has helped build for Arré along with the continued love from our brand partners Gillette and Palo Alto Networks who believed in the show since Season 1. Microsoft has now been added to the happy family. The show franchise approach has worked well for us and we’re fully focused on scaling our existing shows into multiple seasons and languages, even as we launch newer ones.”
The series is produced for Arré by Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman’s production venture, Monozygotic. Raghu Ram, who also a plays a key role in the show said, “Season 3 of A.I.SHA is going to be thrice the action, emotion, and drama as the plot unfolds to reveal many twists and new characters. I’m excited about our cast line up and there’s going to be a lot to look forward to for our A.I.SHA fans”.
The show is co-powered by Gillette in association with Palo Alto Networks, both of whom were partners to Seasons 1 and 2 of the show. Palo Alto Networks has also partnered with the series as script consultant and cyber security advisor, to bring in the required technical authenticity to the show. In addition, Arré has also brought on board Microsoft – Ruuh, as A.I. partner.
Karthik Srivatsan, Country Marketing Manager, Gillette India said, “We’re delighted to partner with Arré, now for the third season of A.I.SHA, after the resounding success of the first two seasons. The show is a first of its kind in the digital space in India and globally, whose concept and audience is well aligned to the Gillette consumer. Gillette’s core philosophy has always been to innovate, to serve evolving consumer needs and our partnership this season is reflective of that. The approach for Season 3 is different as the communication is interestingly integrated within the series to bring about the various myths, facts, and aspects to grooming and shaving, which I believe will resonate well with our users and audiences.”
KP Unnikrishnan, senior director, Marketing, Asia Pacific & Japan, Palo Alto Networks, said. “The global entertainment industry is going through a huge flux today with internet-only content growing at a phenomenal rate. Companies such as Arré, with content like A.I.SHA, are at the forefront of this revolution. Palo Alto Networks is honoured to be the cybersecurity advisor for this ground-breaking work and we are excited to help continuing to educate the audience on how successful cyber attacks can be prevented.”
Abhishek Mathur, Senior Program Manager, Ruuh – Microsoft said, “At Microsoft, we’re excited about the opportunities that AI brings to people and organisations. In India, we are experimenting with a chatbot Ruuh that’s focused on advancing conversational capabilities within our A.I. ambitions. Companies such as Arré with content like A.I.SHA are boldly portraying the future potential of technology in this space. We are excited to be the A.I. partner for the AISHA web series. Not only will Ruuh be an A.I. character in A.I.SHA this season, but will also chat with users about the show and much more.”