Mumbai Climate Week spotlights extreme heat with Naseeruddin Shah and Civic Studios short film 'It's Only 47°C'

MUMBAI, India, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mumbai Climate Week (MCW), India's first citizen-led climate conference and a new Global South platform for climate solutions, deepened its focus on urban resilience and extreme heat through a special film screening in the run-up to its three-day convening from 17–19 February 2026 at the Jio World Convention Centre. The event brought climate storytelling into the city's cultural spaces, ahead of MCW sessions on urban resilience, food systems, and energy transition.

The film stars award-winning actor Sharib Hashmi and is written and directed by Tej Sisodia, produced by Naseeruddin Shah, Anushka Shah & climate expert Harish Borah, and anchored by a powerful poem by Swanand Kirkire. "I would not think twice before supporting such a project because it is made out of such honest concern and conviction," said Naseeruddin Shah, producer of the film.

Held as part of Mumbai Climate Week's run-up activities, the event featured Civic Studios' short film It's Only 47°C followed by a conversation with the creative team and climate voices on how popular media can shift public understanding of climate risks like extreme heat and inspire everyday action. It's Only 47°C explores climate inequality through the character of traffic constable Laxman Chaubey; in a city pushed to a breaking point by extreme heat, an exhausting shift reveals a brutal truth that climate change is not endured equally.

"When citizens come together, change follows. The solutions that work don't always emerge from conference halls – they often begin in neighbourhoods, in stories, and in the lives of people who face climate risks first-hand," said Shishir Joshi, CEO & Co Founder of Project Mumbai & Founder of Mumbai Climate Week. "Mumbai Climate Week is designed as a citizen-led platform where policy connects with people and climate action moves beyond talk and diplomacy into real, scalable solutions that communities can own."

It's Only 47°C is part of Civic Studios' larger movement to use compelling storytelling to spark public engagement and drive climate awareness and action. The film sits within Civic Studios' Climate Media Ecosystem, a multi-platform approach that includes children's animation adapted from Indian environmental books, the rural audio series Haat Baat, collaborations with social media creators, and a GBP 1 million (approximately INR 10 crore) Climate Media Fund to integrate climate messaging into mainstream films and series. "As Civic Studios we came onboard to produce this film because of its stark reminder that heat doesn't affect the rich and the poor equally. The film is part of our larger slate of climate change stories to help galvanise climate action urgently," said Anushka Shah, Founder, Civic Studios.

More activities are planned in the run-up to Mumbai Climate Week, including a special screening of Turtle Walker on 9 February at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai.

About the short film

It's Only 47°C is a short film set against an unforgiving urban heatwave, following a traffic constable whose everyday routine exposes how extreme heat is endured very differently across class lines. Through quiet, observational moments, the film reveals the invisible labour and physical toll borne by those most exposed to rising temperatures.

About Mumbai Climate Week (MCW)

Scheduled for February 17th to19th, 2026, MCW marks India's first platform dedicated to accelerating climate action across Mumbai, India, and the Global South. MCW brings together climate-focused organizations, movements, and innovators to spotlight scalable, locally rooted climate solutions, positioning Mumbai as a leading voice for climate action in the Global South.

About Civic Studios

Civic Studios is a women-led production house with a 70% female team with offices in Mumbai & London. 

This year, Civic Studios has been experimenting boldly and intentionally with how climate stories are told, who they reach, and where they live. Instead of only focusing on climate crisis narratives, its work centers stories of resilience, adaptation, and just transition, meeting people where they already are: classrooms, social media, radio, and mainstream films and TV shows.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2877797/MCW.jpg