Present effort intends to improve the performance of gelatin based casted-films for controlled delivery of hydrophobic drugs. To achieve this goal, Piperine (a model drug) was loaded into gelatin (type A) casted-films by solvent evaporation method. Glutaraldehyde was used as a cross-linker for the gelatin films to modulate the drug release behavior and to prolong the rate of degradation of the film. In-vitro degradation study under physiological conditions and thermal analysis through differential scanning calorimetry were performed to confirm stability of the gelatin casted-film matrix. Aim was to control the drug release from films by varying the cross-linking degree and the gelatin concentration. Optical microscope analysis was performed to study the surface topography of the sample. In order to understand the drug-polymer interaction in the film, attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was done. The in-vitro release study gave an overall idea of the role of cross-linkers, gelatin concentration, and effect of pH on the release profiles of Piperine. Results show that one can effectively use gelatin casted-film based drug delivery systems for a wide range of release requirements, i.e., from fast release to delayed release. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.