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Duologue with Barun Das S02 premieres on CTV

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Mumbai: The second season of ‘Duologue with Barun Das’, the acclaimed series known for its captivating conversations with legendary personalities, has premiered on India’s only 24×7 English news CTV, News9 Live. Having released on India’s first news OTT – News9 Plus on the 19 February 2024, the first five episodes of season two, presented by Radico Khaitan, will be telecast on News9 Live every Saturday at 9 pm IST starting the 18 May 2024, with repeats to be screened every Sunday at 9 am, 2 pm and 10 pm.

Hosted by the media legend and TV9 Network MD & CEO Barun Das, Duologue Season two continues its legacy of inviting iconic figures from various walks of life for insightful discussions, building on the success of its first season, which garnered critical acclaim and multiple awards – including the prestigious Editorial Choice – Most Cerebral Talk Show award at the News Television Awards 2023.

The inaugural season featured guests who are legends in their respective fields, such as former UK Prime Minister and current Foreign Affairs Minister David Cameron, ZEE founder Dr. Subhash Chandra, spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, former Indian women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj, IT tycoon NR Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty, and many more. Their enlightening conversations set the stage for Duologue’s reputation as a platform for meaningful discourse and intellectual exchange.

Duologue Season 2’s CTV telecast boasts an equally impressive lineup of luminaries, including:

Episode one: Allu Arjun, starring the award-winning Telugu film star celebrated as one of the most versatile actors in the Indian film industry, on 18 May 2024.

Episode two: Oliver Kahn, featuring the legendary goalkeeper, Golden Ball winner and former Bayern CEO, on 25 May 2024.

Episode three: Deepak Chopra, with the renowned spiritual leader and prolific author known for his profound insights on health and well-being, on 2 June 2024.

Episode four: Jeev Milkha Singh, featuring the distinguished golfer widely recognised as being one of India’s best, on 9 June 2024.

Episode five: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, casting the spotlight on the filmmaker renowned for his socially relevant filmography including Rang de Basanti, on 16 June 2024.

Commenting on the second season, Barun Das expressed his excitement, stating, “Duologue Season 2 is a testament to the power of conversations that may change lives. Where Season 1 was more about the people, Season 2 is more about ideas – an exchange of philosophies and worldviews. I am thrilled to continue this journey of enlightenment and inspiration, inviting viewers to join us on News9 Live for an unforgettable experience.”

Each episode of Duologue season two sets up a captivating journey, as Barun Das engages in free-flowing conversations with these iconic personalities. From exploring their achievements and challenges to delving into their philosophies and visions, ‘Duologue with Barun Das’ Season 2 offers viewers an immersive experience like never before.

“The thought-provoking conversations on Duologue with Barun Das offer Radico Khaitan a valuable opportunity to connect with a diverse audience. Engaging in meaningful discussions enhances our brand visibility and exemplifies our values, creating a positive brand association. This exposure contributes to increased brand recognition, loyalty, and consumer trust, fortifying Radico Khaitan’s reputation and market presence. We are honoured to collaborate with the insightful Barun Das, whose dynamic style adds an extra layer of charm to this meaningful partnership”, said the presenting sponsor Radico Khaitan’s COO Amar Sinha.

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Netflix celebrates a decade in India with Shah Rukh Khan-narrated tribute film

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MUMBAI: Netflix is celebrating ten years in India with a slick anniversary film voiced by Shah Rukh Khan, a nostalgic sprint through a decade that rewired how the country watches stories. The campaign doubles as both tribute and reminder: streaming did not just enter Indian homes, it quietly rearranged them.

Roll back to 2016 and television still dictated schedules. Viewers waited weeks, sometimes months, for favourite films to appear on prime time. Family-friendly filters narrowed options further, and piracy often filled the gaps. Then Netflix arrived, softly but decisively, carrying a catalogue of international titles rarely seen in Indian theatres and placing them a click away. Old blockbusters and new releases suddenly coexisted on the same digital shelf.

The platform’s real inflection point came in 2018 with Sacred Games, a breakout series that refused to dilute India’s grit for global comfort. Audiences embraced its unvarnished tone, signalling readiness for stories that did not need box-office validation or censorship compromises. What followed was a steady procession of relatable narratives. Competitive-exam anxiety fuelled Kota Factory. College relationships unfolded in Mismatched. Everyday pressures, not grand spectacle, proved bankable.

Language barriers thinned as foreign series arrived with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubbing, expanding viewership beyond urban English-speaking pockets. Marketing mirrored the shift. For global releases such as Squid Game, Netflix leaned on regional creators and influencers to localise buzz and make international content feel native.

The library widened beyond fiction. Documentaries stepped out of festival circuits into living rooms. Stand-up comedians found scale. Established filmmakers, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali with Heeramandi, embraced the platform’s long-form canvas. Subscriber numbers swelled to 12.37 million in India, according to Demandsage, and behaviour followed suit. Late-night binges became routine. Friday release rituals loosened. Watch parties turned solitary screens into social events.

Economics demanded adjustment. Early subscription pricing carried a premium aura that deterred many households. Over time, Netflix recalibrated plans to align with Indian spending sensibilities, conceding that accessibility is as critical as content. To extend momentum around marquee titles, the platform also experimented with split-season releases, stretching anticipation and watch time.

The anniversary film, narrated by Shah Rukh Khan, captures the linguistic shift that mirrors the cultural one: from “Netflix pe kya dekha?” to “Netflix pe kya dekhein?” The question moved from recounting the past to planning the next binge. In ten years, Netflix morphed from foreign entrant to familiar fixture, exporting Indian stories abroad while importing global ones home. The remote no longer waits; it chooses, clicks and moves on. In the streaming age, patience is out, playlists are in, and the next episode is always one tap away.

 

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e-commerce

Tulasi Mohan Padavala elevated to Associate Director at Blinkit

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Gurugram: Blinkit has elevated Tulasi Mohan Padavala to associate director, capping a three-year climb inside the quick-commerce firm and signalling confidence in an executive steeped in ecommerce, category management and on-ground sales execution.

Padavala shared the update publicly, saying he was “happy to share” the promotion, a succinct announcement that nevertheless marks a notable step up within one of India’s fastest-moving delivery platforms. The new role follows nearly three years at Blinkit, where he most recently served as senior category manager from February 2023 to January 2026, focusing on strategic sourcing and assortment planning.

The promotion places Padavala in Blinkit’s mid-to-senior leadership tier at a time when the company continues to expand its rapid-delivery footprint and sharpen category economics. His brief tenure as associate director began in January 2026, with responsibilities expected to span category growth, supplier strategy and cross-functional execution.

Before Blinkit, Padavala spent a short but intensive stint as global ecommerce manager at Wholsum Foods, the parent of Slurrp Farm and Millé, between November 2022 and February 2023. There he worked on digital marketplace expansion and online retail operations, adding a direct-to-consumer and international ecommerce layer to his résumé.

A longer stretch at Amazon shaped much of his cross-border commerce experience. As business development manager for Amazon’s India Global Selling programme from February 2021 to October 2022, Padavala helped Indian D2C brands enter the North American market. His remit ranged from seller recruitment and category revenue management to coordination with industry bodies, regulators and logistics partners. Key outcomes included launching more than 50 D2C consumable brands in the United States, driving a cumulative gross merchandise sales figure of $1m in FY21-22, tripling sales for participating brands during Prime Day through marketing and visibility levers, growing the monthly recurring revenue of more than 10 newly launched sellers from zero to an average $20,000 each, and negotiating ecommerce partnerships that reduced initial launch costs by 20 per cent.

Padavala’s earlier career was forged in the field rather than the dashboard. At Coffee Day Group, he spent close to five years across multiple sales leadership roles. As sales manager in the Greater Delhi Area from July 2019 to January 2021, he led vending-machine and consumables sales for small and medium enterprises with a team of more than 15 assistant and territory sales managers, managed over 2,000 clients, drove upselling and cross-selling, maintained channel partnerships and ensured timely collections. Prior to that, he served as area sales manager in Delhi between May 2018 and June 2019, handling south and east Delhi markets, and earlier in Hyderabad from April 2016 to May 2018, where he led Andhra Pradesh sales for the vending division, supervised service and logistics functions and managed a base of more than 600 machines with a four-member team.

His professional arc began with internships that combined analytics and process improvement. At Boehringer Ingelheim in 2015, Padavala analysed the impact of brand extension on the drug Pradaxa, identified key performance indicators through market research and assessed sales forecasts, recommendations that drew positive responses in pilot studies. Earlier, at Genpact in 2014, he automated manual sales-order backlog reporting using VBA and Excel, increasing efficiency by 800 per cent, and worked on benchmarking metrics within supply-chain planning processes.

From automating spreadsheets to scaling cross-border ecommerce and now steering quick-commerce categories, Padavala’s trajectory tracks the evolution of India’s retail economy itself. Blinkit’s bet is clear: blend data, discipline and delivery speed. The promotion formalises what his career already suggests. In the race for instant commerce, experience that moves from warehouse floors to global dashboards is no longer optional. It is the engine.

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e-commerce

Bharatpe plays a super over as Rohit Sharma fronts T20 push

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MUMBAI: When the stakes rise and seconds matter, even payments need a match-winning finish. That’s the cue for Bharatpe, which has rolled out Super Over, a nationwide campaign led by Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, timed neatly ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The campaign draws a straight line between the pulse of cricket and the pace of everyday digital payments. A new brand film taps into India’s emotional bond with the game, while positioning UPI as the quiet hero that keeps daily transactions ticking along at match speed.

As part of Super Over, users making payments via Bharatpe UPI can bag daily rewards ranging from match tickets and signed merchandise to a chance to watch a T20 World Cup fixture alongside Rohit Sharma himself. Both consumers and merchants are also assured Zillion Coins on every eligible transaction, adding a little extra sparkle to routine payments.

Behind the scenes, Bharatpe is also batting for safety. The platform is backed by Bharatpe Shield, a fraud-protection layer designed to offer enhanced security, comprehensive coverage and dedicated support aimed at helping users transact with greater confidence as digital payments scale up.

Announcing the campaign, Bharatpe head of marketing Shilpi Kapoor said Super Over mirrors the aspirations of everyday Indians, combining speed, security and instant rewards to make UPI transactions feel both reliable and rewarding.

The campaign will play out across digital platforms, social media and on-ground activations nationwide, staying live through the T20 World Cup season proof that in cricket, as in payments, timing is everything.

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