'Ab Cinema Suno’: Pankaj Tripathi And Velvet Signal A New Phase In Indian Storytelling

As storytelling continues to evolve across mediums, a new Indian platform is seeking to reimagine cinema through sound. Velvet, positioned as India’s first cinematic audio storytelling platform, aims to extend the grammar of film beyond the screen and into an immersive audio-first experience.

Built on the belief that listening remains a powerful yet underexplored form of engagement in an increasingly visual world, Velvet introduces its philosophy as ‘Ab Cinema Suno’, suggesting that cinematic narratives can exist with equal emotional depth and scale through sound alone.

The platform’s creative vision is led by acclaimed Pankaj Tripathi, who joins Velvet as Creative Partner and Co-Founder. Known for his nuanced performances and deep understanding of character-driven storytelling, Tripathi brings a cinematic sensibility rooted in emotional authenticity and cultural texture. He is joined by Vikas Kumar, and noted dialogue , who serves as Content Lead and Co-Founder, shaping the platform’s sonic storytelling framework with a focus on voice-led performance.

Together with co-founders Akshat Saxena and Varad Bhatnagar, the team is building what they describe as a long-term cinematic audio ecosystem of national scale. Velvet’s ambition is to translate India’s vast storytelling heritage into premium, celebrity-led audio narratives, while gradually expanding into live audio formats, multi-season intellectual properties and regionally rooted stories across languages.

The platform has already begun laying the groundwork for its next phase of growth. Strategic collaborations with automobile manufacturers, radio networks and digital content platforms are underway, alongside outreach to international markets and the Indian diaspora. Velvet is also preparing to launch India’s first dedicated live-streaming environment for audio storytelling and expand its offerings in regional languages including Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi.

Despite its relatively short operational timeline, Velvet has shown early traction. The platform has produced over 75 hours of original content, developed multiple intellectual properties across genres, crossed 15,000 subscribers, and recorded more than 200,000 app installs. It has also secured integrations with automotive players such as Maruti Suzuki, enabling in- access to its audio content in new-generation vehicles.

Speaking about his association with the platform, Tripathi said the appeal lay in approaching sound with the same seriousness traditionally reserved for cinema. “Storytelling on Velvet remains rooted in character, context and emotional truth, even as it adopts new forms,” he said.

Vikas Kumar highlighted the discipline required in audio storytelling, noting that voice, rhythm and silence carry narrative weight in the absence of visuals. “The aim has been to treat sound not as an accompaniment, but as cinema in itself,” he said.

On the business side, Akshat Saxena said the platform was designed with scalability at its core, focusing on partnerships, distribution and user acquisition to move cinematic audio from niche to mainstream consumption. Varad Bhatnagar added that Velvet’s focus has been on building coherent narrative worlds capable of evolving across seasons and formats, rather than standalone productions.

As India’s audio consumption ecosystem continues to expand, Velvet’s early momentum points to a growing appetite for immersive, story-driven listening experiences,suggesting that cinema, in its next form, may not always need a screen.