Punjabi Audio Description Services
Punjabi audio description for films, written and voiced by native Punjabi speakers, delivered for CBFC certification, DCP and OTT, and playing in any cinema on KinoSync.
Punjabi cinema and accessibility
Punjabi cinema releases consistently in India and simultaneously overseas, where diaspora audiences in Canada and the UK are a major share of the box office. Those overseas markets already expect accessible screenings, and a Punjabi release with audio description and captions is unusual enough to be noticed. KinoSync carries Punjabi features with both tracks, synced to any screening on the viewer's own phone.
Punjabi is spoken across Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, and the Punjabi diaspora in Canada, the UK and Australia, and a Punjabi release now needs same-language closed captions and audio description for CBFC certification. 3 Punjabi films already play with audio descriptionon KinoSync, in ordinary cinemas, on the audience member's own phone.
Punjabi audio description: what changes
Punjabi films lean on broad comedy, village and farmland settings, and action sequences with large casts. Audio description for comedy has one rule: the description must set up the visual joke in time for the audience to laugh with everyone else. Our Punjabi describers write for that beat, and they describe the physical comedy, the costume gag and the reaction shot in the colloquial Punjabi the characters speak, not in a formal register that would sit outside the film.
Action and period films in Punjabi, including the war and historical dramas that have done well recently, need a different discipline: orienting the listener in a battle or a chase, keeping track of who is where, and describing uniforms, weapons and landscape with enough precision that the stakes are clear. We work from the locked edit with the script, and we check every cue against picture before the narration is recorded.
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.
Punjabi films with Audio Description on KinoSync
Every Punjabi 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 Punjabi describers and narrators?
Yes. Punjabi audio description is written and voiced by native Punjabi 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 Punjabi films already have audio description on KinoSync?
3 Punjabi films currently play with audio description on KinoSync: The Great Punjab Robbery, Judaa, Singh vs Kaur 2. Each has its own page on this site with the tracks it carries, and the track plays in any cinema showing the film.
Does Punjabi audio description satisfy the CBFC requirement for a Punjabi film?
Yes. The certification requirement is for same-language accessibility files, so a Punjabi feature needs Punjabi 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 Punjabi-speaking audiences get the track in a cinema?
Through KinoSync. The Punjabi 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.