NeuralGarage: The Indian AI Startup Revolutionizing the Dubbing Industry
Published on 1/17/2025 | 4 min read
Published on 1/17/2025 | 4 min read
Imagine watching a dubbed movie where the characters’ lip movements remain fixed in the original language, breaking the immersive experience. Despite advancements in dubbing, translation, and subtitling, this mismatch disrupts the illusion of seamless storytelling. NeuralGarage, a Bengaluru-based startup, aims to solve this long-standing issue and transform the dubbing industry.
Founded in 2021 by Anjan Banerjee, Subhashish Saha, Subhabrata Debnath, and Mandar Natekar, NeuralGarage leverages artificial intelligence to synchronize lip movements and facial expressions in dubbed content. Their flagship product, VisualDub, ensures facial adjustments appear natural and seamless, even in high-quality video productions.
“The challenge lies in maintaining video quality while adjusting facial expressions, especially when there are no restrictions on camera angles and lighting,” explained the company. “It cannot look AI-ish, particularly when working with renowned actors whose facial movements are unique.”
Through advanced AI algorithms, VisualDub adapts an actor’s facial expressions to match the dubbed audio. This innovation sets a new standard for dubbed content across entertainment and advertising industries.
NeuralGarage’s technology has drawn attention from major brands like Amazon India and Coca-Cola, who have tested its solutions. “For instance, if you’re watching Money Heist, our technology ensures the professor’s dialogue in English perfectly aligns with his lip movements,” said Subhabrata Debnath, co-founder and CTO.
The global film industry, including distributors like Europa Movies—holding a 95% market share in India—has shown interest in NeuralGarage’s technology. By offering realistic synchronization, the company addresses challenges such as global distribution, piracy prevention, and enhancing the appeal of dubbed content.
Streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video also stand to benefit. Prime Video’s global head highlighted how mismatched lips and expressions hinder content consumption. NeuralGarage’s innovation could redefine how audiences experience dubbed shows and movies.
In advertising, NeuralGarage’s tools allow brands to repurpose video content efficiently. For example, Amazon India used VisualDub to adapt footage for seasonal campaigns, altering messages for discounts or festivals.
“Advertisements shot in December can be updated in February to reflect new messaging without re-shooting,” explained Debnath. This capability saves time and costs while enabling brands to remain relevant in dynamic markets.
While promising, NeuralGarage’s journey is not without challenges. One major hurdle is ensuring facial adjustments align with the original high-quality video. The system must account for varying camera angles and lighting conditions—factors traditional film production rarely considers with AI in mind.
“For movie stars, the expectations are very high. Shah Rukh Khan’s face is his identity, and it’s crucial that our adjustments preserve his unique expressions,” the company emphasized.
Scalability presents another challenge. With films often exceeding 300 GB in size, processing such data demands robust infrastructure and computing power. NeuralGarage’s participation in the AWS Global Generative AI Accelerator Program has been pivotal. The startup received $1 million in AWS promotional credits, enhancing its technical capabilities.
The dubbing and localization market is increasingly competitive, with AI startups like Dubverse.ai and Vitra AI also innovating in this space. NeuralGarage distinguishes itself with its focus on high-quality synchronization and collaborations with major players in entertainment and advertising.
To solidify its position, NeuralGarage plans to expand its marketing and sales efforts in 2025. “Until now, we have relied on organic growth through word-of-mouth within the post-production industry. This year, we will invest in marketing to ensure our solution reaches more hands,” said Debnath.
The company has achieved significant milestones, including a $1.45 million seed funding round from Xfinity Ventures in 2022. NeuralGarage is now gearing up for a Series A funding round to scale operations and refine its products further, aiming to streamline localization processes for businesses worldwide.
NeuralGarage’s innovative approach to dubbing and localization is poised to reshape how audiences experience content. By addressing the persistent issue of mismatched lip movements and facial expressions, the company enhances the global appeal of movies, shows, and advertisements.
With plans to scale operations and expand its reach, NeuralGarage is on track to become a key player in the AI-driven transformation of the dubbing industry. As audiences demand higher-quality viewing experiences, NeuralGarage’s technology ensures dubbed content can meet—and exceed—their expectations.