Hindi Audio Description Services
Hindi audio description for films, written and voiced by native Hindi speakers, delivered for CBFC certification, DCP and OTT, and playing in any cinema on KinoSync.
Hindi cinema and accessibility
Hindi cinema is the largest theatrical market in India and the first place the CBFC accessibility requirement bites, because a Hindi release plays in every state and on every national OTT platform. Most Hindi features now travel with English subtitles, but English subtitles are not audio description and are not same-language captions, which is what the certification requirement asks for.
Hindi is spoken across north and central India, Mumbai, and Hindi-speaking audiences across the country and the diaspora, and a Hindi release now needs same-language closed captions and audio description for CBFC certification. 7 Hindi films already play with audio descriptionon KinoSync, in ordinary cinemas, on the audience member's own phone.
Hindi audio description: what changes
Hindi film dialogue is rarely pure Hindi. Everyday speech mixes Urdu vocabulary, English phrases and regional idiom, and the describer has to match that register rather than write textbook Hindi. A description that sounds like a news bulletin fights the film; one that uses the same spoken Hindi as the characters disappears into it. We write in the register of the film, choose a narrator whose voice sits well against the lead performances, and keep song sequences described rather than left silent, because a four-minute song with no narration is four minutes of the story lost.
Hindi features are long, often over two and a half hours, with dense ensemble scenes and frequent cuts between locations. Spotting is where the quality is decided: which of three simultaneous actions matters to the plot, how to name characters consistently when the dialogue uses nicknames and honorifics, and how to describe written Hindi and English on screen (signboards, messages, newspaper headlines) without slowing the scene. Our Hindi describers are native speakers who work from the locked edit with the script and the director's notes in hand.
Audio description for CBFC certification
Under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's accessibility guidelines for feature films (issued 15 March 2024) and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024, feature films submitted for CBFC certification from 15 March 2026 must carry closed captions and audio description. The files are uploaded with the certification application, and the CBFC checks that they are present before the certificate is issued. A missing track means a withheld certificate and a delayed release. Regional-office practice varies in the details, so we confirm the exact submission format with your censor agent at briefing.
The requirement is for same-language audio description: a Hindi film is described in Hindi, a Gujarati film in Gujarati. An English description does not satisfy it and does not serve the audience. We write and voice in the language of the film with native-speaker describers, and we deliver the file in the form the submission needs alongside the closed caption file, so the two tracks go in together.
- Same-language narration by native-speaker describers and voice artists
- Standard audio description in the natural pauses, extended description where a film leaves no pauses
- Delivered as the file the certification upload requires, with the matching closed caption track
- Available for theatrical, OTT and broadcast versions of the same title from one script
Working back from the certification date
Typical durations for a feature-length film from locked picture. Dates are confirmed at briefing.
- 1Locked picture and briefDay 0We need the locked edit with timecode, the dialogue script and any director's notes. Picture changes after this point mean re-spotting the affected reels.
- 2Spotting and script7 to 10 working daysEvery cue is mapped and written by a native-speaker describer, then edited for timing, clarity and spoilers. You review the script before recording.
- 3Recording2 to 3 working daysA professional narrator records in a treated studio. You can approve the voice from samples before the session.
- 4Mix, QC and conform3 to 5 working daysThe narration is mixed and ducked, every cue is checked against picture, and files are conformed for the DCP lab, the certification upload and each platform.
- 5DeliveryAbout 3 weeks from locked pictureTypical for a feature. Shorter schedules are possible for shorter films or when the script can start on a near-locked cut; we confirm dates at briefing.
Delivery specification
| Script | Timecoded description script (DOCX or PDF, plus CSV on request), reviewed against the locked edit |
|---|---|
| Narration stem | Description-only audio, 48 kHz / 24-bit WAV, cue-aligned to picture |
| AD mix | Narration mixed with your full mix and ducked under dialogue, stereo or 5.1 as your lab or platform specifies |
| Cinema | Additional audio track for your DCP via your lab, and a synced KinoSync track for any screening |
| OTT and broadcast | Separate AD audio track to the platform's delivery specification (Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar, ZEE5, Sony LIV and broadcasters) |
| CBFC | AD file in the form required for the certification upload, supplied with the closed caption file |
| Languages | Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Haryanvi and English, with native-speaker describers and narrators |
How we work
- 1Brief & spotWe review the locked edit and map every description cue.
- 2ScriptSpecialist describers write narration tuned to tone and pacing.
- 3RecordProfessional voice artists record in a treated studio.
- 4QC & deliverWe check every cue against picture and deliver to spec.
Hindi films with Audio Description on KinoSync
Every Hindi title below plays with audio description on the KinoSync app in any cinema showing it. Open a film to see the tracks it carries.
Audio Description in other Indian languages
Each language page is backed by films already delivered on KinoSync.
Frequently asked
Do you have native Hindi describers and narrators?
Yes. Hindi audio description is written and voiced by native Hindi speakers, in the register of the film, not translated from a Hindi or English script. The narrator is cast for the genre and you can approve the voice from samples before recording.
Which Hindi films already have audio description on KinoSync?
7 Hindi films currently play with audio description on KinoSync: Daadi Ki Shaadi, Haunted Echoes Of The Past, Guest From The Future and 4 more. Each has its own page on this site with the tracks it carries, and the track plays in any cinema showing the film.
Does Hindi audio description satisfy the CBFC requirement for a Hindi film?
Yes. The certification requirement is for same-language accessibility files, so a Hindi feature needs Hindi audio description. We deliver the file in the form required for the certification upload, together with the closed caption file, and confirm the submission format with your censor agent.
How do Hindi-speaking audiences get the track in a cinema?
Through KinoSync. The Hindi audio description track is published on the KinoSync app and plays on the viewer's own phone, synced to the screening, in any cinema showing the film. Theatres install nothing and there is no separate accessible showing.