It’s Only 47°C: Naseeruddin Shah–Produced Film Flags Climate Inequality in Urban India

By Shantiswaroop Tripathi

Global media company Civic Studios, which works with the aim of creating films that combine entertainment with social responsibility, is currently in the spotlight. Founded at the MIT Media Lab in the United States, the company marked its presence as a climate media innovator by showcasing its short film “It’s Only 47°C” as part of the first edition of Mumbai Climate Week (MCW). MCW is India’s first platform dedicated to accelerating action against climate change in Mumbai.

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Based in Mumbai and London, Civic Studios has previously produced films such as Gurinder Chadha’s latest international musical Christmas Karma, the UK’s Oscar entry Santosh, and the IFFR NETPAC Award–winning Shirkoa: In Lies We Trust.

Civic Studios’ latest short film, “It’s Only 47°C” portrays climate inequality through its protagonist, traffic constable Laxman Chabhe. Set in a city on the brink of collapse due to extreme heat, a gruelling shift reveals the harsh truth that the impact of climate change is not felt equally by everyone. Starring award-winning actor Sharib Hashmi (The Family Man), the film is written and directed by Tejas Sisodia. It is produced by Naseeruddin Shah and Anushka Shah, with Harish Borah serving as executive producer. Enhanced by a powerful poem by Swanand Kirkire, the film offers an intimate portrayal of climate inequality in urban India.

The film was screened on 4 February 2026 at Red Bulb Studio, Andheri West. This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Tejas Sisodia, Naseeruddin Shah, Harish Borah, Akshata Samant, and Shishir Joshi (CEO and Founder, Project Mumbai), moderated by Devashish Makhija.
“It’s Only 47°C” is part of Civic Studios’ broader campaign aimed at boosting public participation through inspiring stories and encouraging climate awareness and action.

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Civic Studios’ Climate Media Ecosystem

This year, Civic Studios is undertaking bold and well-planned experiments in how climate stories are told, who they reach, and where audiences encounter them. Rather than focusing solely on the climate crisis, the studio’s work highlights stories of resilience, adaptation, and equitable transition, meeting people where they already are—classrooms, social media, radio, and mainstream films and TV shows.
Together, these initiatives form a climate media ecosystem—a multi-platform approach designed to tell climate stories at scale and with impact.

Children’s Animation

Civic Studios has begun adapting successful Indian children’s environmental books into short animated films, specifically designed for classroom viewing.
The first pilot project, “Miracle on Kachua Beach,” is inspired by the Versova Beach clean-up movement. The film introduces children to themes such as empathy and care for nature, the importance of clean beaches for people and marine life, leadership, and collective action.
In collaboration with Alt-F and Youth Cosmos, the pilot was screened in schools in Pune. After each screening, a custom-designed engagement session by Civic Studios helped test how animated climate narratives can spark discussion and awareness among young learners.

• Audience: Schoolchildren
• Format: Short animated (AI) films
• Distribution: Partner schools, non-profits, edtech platforms

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EdTech Integration

To reach children at scale, Civic Studios is working with leading Indian edtech platforms to integrate positive environmental messaging directly into their learning ecosystems. By partnering with platforms that reach millions of children, climate-friendly values are embedded not as add-ons, but as integral elements of stories, characters, and gameplay.

• Audience: Early learners across India
• Format: In-app storytelling and learning content
• Distribution: EdTech platforms

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Rural Radio: Haat Baat

The Civic Studios team has developed “Haat Baat,” an audio storytelling series that highlights stories of resilience and successful climate action from rural India.
The series focuses on locally rooted solutions, from agricultural practices to water management, narrated in familiar voices and local languages.
Haat Baat is distributed by Gram Vaani, a non-profit organization with a reach of over 12 million calls across North India.

• Audience: Rural communities
• Format: Audio stories and radio programmes
• Distribution: Community and rural radio networks, IVR platforms

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Social Media Fund

Through a collective philanthropy–backed social media fund, Civic Studios will provide grants to social media creators and influencers to produce climate-positive content.
By supporting creators who engage large and active audiences, the initiative enables positive climate ideas to circulate organically on platforms like Instagram.

• Audience: Social media users
• Format: Influencer-led content
• Platform: Instagram

Climate Media Fund

Civic Studios has announced a ₹100 crore Climate Media Fund, created through collective philanthropy. The fund provides grants to leading Indian studios, filmmakers, and streaming platforms to integrate climate narratives into mainstream films and series.
Inspired by traditional product placement models, this approach weaves climate themes and solutions into dialogue, visuals, or plotlines. With guidance from climate scientists and media experts, accuracy is ensured without compromising storytelling.

• Audience: Mass entertainment viewers
• Format: Films, TV, and OTT series
• Approach: Climate-integrated storytelling

Why This Matters

Climate stories shape climate action. By extending these narratives from classrooms to blockbuster screens, Civic Studios is building an ecosystem where climate action feels relevant, achievable, and collective.
This year’s work is experimental, laying the foundation for a broad, culturally rooted climate media movement in the years ahead.

About Civic Studios

Civic Studios is a global media company dedicated to creating entertainment that connects and empowers people. Developed at the MIT Media Lab, the studio develops, produces, and finances feature films, streaming shows, and short-form digital content, distributed across digital platforms, cinemas, and streaming services.

Its current projects include Christmas Karma (directed by Gurinder Chadha), In the Shadows (the biopic of boxing champion Ramla Ali), Family Aaj Kal (streaming on SonyLIV), Shirkoa: In Lies We Trust (an Indo-French-German animated feature), Little Thomas (starring Rasika Dugal and Gulshan Devaiah), and Daughter of Eden (directed by Berlinale award-winner Fatima Ahmadi).
Civic Studios is expanding climate change media across formats—children’s content via schools and edtech platforms, rural and community radio, social media for youth engagement, and grant-based incentives for films, television, and digital content—all aimed at delivering hopeful and action-oriented climate messages.

The studio also runs a successful pop culture and impact brand on Instagram with over 340,000 followers. Beyond content creation, Civic Studios builds media and impact collaborations supported by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, and partners with Pocket Aces through strategic investments in positive content.

Civic Studios is a women-led production house, with 70% women on its team, and offices in Mumbai and London.

About Mumbai Climate Week (MCW)

Scheduled from 17–19 February 2026, Mumbai Climate Week is India’s first platform dedicated to accelerating climate action in Mumbai, India, and the Global South. MCW brings together climate-focused organizations, movements, and innovators to highlight locally implementable and scalable solutions, positioning Mumbai as a leading voice for climate action in the Global South.