ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Rao and Toppo plug into Humans in the Loop with producer power

    Rao and Toppo plug into Humans in the Loop with producer power

    MUMBAI: When cinema meets circuit boards, sparks fly. Humans in the Loop, a feature tracing the life of Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman employed as an AI data-labeller in Jharkhand has found two heavyweight backers in filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo, who have boarded as executive producers.

    The film, fresh off its FIPRESCI India win (shared with All We Imagine as Light), is fast becoming one of the most globally resonant indie titles to emerge from India. For Rao, whose Laapataa Ladies carried India’s flag at the 2024 Oscars, this marks her third indie collaboration after Ship of Theseus and Stolen. “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking… Supporting this project felt both urgent and necessary,” she said.

    Toppo, a pioneer of Adivasi cinema, brings decades of storytelling rooted in indigenous resilience. “For too long, Adivasi perspectives have remained invisible, not just in history, but even in how we imagine the future. Humans in the Loop boldly expresses our perspective,” he noted.

    Directed by Aranya Sahay and produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar and Sahay under Storiculture’s Impact Fellowship and Sauv Films, the project has been years in the making. It weaves a sharp narrative on how “smart” technologies often depend on invisible human labour while sidelining indigenous knowledge systems.

    Independent filmmaking, Sahay admits, “is like walking a tightrope.” But with Rao and Toppo’s support and after a year of micro-community screenings, the film is ready for its theatrical leap. It will debut on 5 September 2025 at Cinépolis Andheri, Mumbai, before expanding to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Bengaluru from 12 September. An alternative distribution model, backed by the Museum of Imagined Futures, will also drive screenings across smaller cities through a cinema of the people initiative.

    By combining a robust festival run with grassroots screenings, Humans in the Loop aims to spark urgent public debate on labour, technology and the future we are building placing the voices of India’s most marginalised at the heart of the global AI conversation.

  • Rs 20000 plus shoppers steal the spotlight in MiQ festive trends 2025

    Rs 20000 plus shoppers steal the spotlight in MiQ festive trends 2025

    MUMBAI: When it comes to India’s great shopping season, wallets aren’t just opening, they’re positively bursting. Global programmatic media partner Miq’s Festive Shopper Insights 2025 Report finds that nearly half of consumers are gearing up to spend over Rs 20,000 this Diwali, reshaping how brands plan campaigns in the country’s most competitive retail quarter.

    Based on a survey of 4,800 festive enthusiasts, the report spotlights four key shifts. First up: the rise of the Rs 20,000 plus confident spender. About 43 per cent of shoppers, largely 25–34 year olds from Tier I and II cities, are ready to splurge on everything from electronics to limited-edition launches fuelled by discounts, cashback, and influencer-led Fomo. They’re digitally fluent, research six weeks in advance, and make Youtube and social platforms their hunting grounds for deals.

    The second shift is a brand discovery boom. With 45 per cent of consumers open to trying new names, this Diwali levels the playing field between D2C challengers and established giants. Expect AR try-ons, influencer reviews, and viral campaigns to drive choice. Third, advertisers themselves are going early launching campaigns 30 plus days ahead of the festival. Programmatic video, shoppable social, and OTT dominate, though CPMs continue to climb. Finally, regional aspirations are shaping purchase lists: North and Central India eye cars and appliances, South and East want tractors and jewellery despite gold prices, and urban buyers keep gold in vogue as an investment.

    “Festive season is no longer just about shopping, it is about cultural moments amplified by media,” said MiQ chief commercial officer India Varun Mohan. “The new Indian shopper is confident, experimental and digitally led. For brands, the mandate is clear launch earlier, speak authentically across regions, and embrace a full-funnel approach.”

    With CPM inflation and fiercer competition for eyeballs, marketers will need more than deep pockets to win. As MiQ’s report shows, this Diwali isn’t just about lights and laddoos, it’s about who shines brightest in the brand bazaar.

  • Truecaller names Athul Prabhu product director for ads business

    Truecaller names Athul Prabhu product director for ads business

    MUMBAI: Truecaller has tapped Athul Prabhu as product director for its advertising arm, a move aimed at supercharging the company’s biggest growth engine.

    Prabhu, an ad-tech veteran with stints at Glance, TikTok, Viacom18 and Nielsen, will shape the product vision and strategy for Truecaller Ads. At Glance, he built the lock-screen app’s ad-tech infrastructure from scratch, enabling global monetisation through programmatic and direct sales.

    The appointment comes as Truecaller Ads, delivering more than 5 billion daily impressions and used by over 10,000 brands, cements its reputation as one of the world’s largest mobile advertising platforms. Hemant Arora, vice-president of the global ads business, said Prabhu’s remit will be to design a diversified suite of AI- and data-led products tuned to local markets.

    Prabhu, an IIT Kanpur graduate with an MBA from ISB Hyderabad, called the platform “uniquely positioned to redefine the future of trusted communication and digital advertising”, citing its reach and user trust as rare assets for brands.

    Advertising accounts for the lion’s share of Truecaller’s growth, and the company is betting Prabhu can turn scale into sharper monetisation.

  • South Side Story hits the right notes as Red FM fest dazzles Delhi crowd

    South Side Story hits the right notes as Red FM fest dazzles Delhi crowd

    MUMBAI: When Carnatic ragas meet hip-hop beats and an Onam Sadhya feeds thousands, you know Delhi has been treated to more than just a music festival. 93.5 Red FM’s South Side Story returned for its 7th edition at KD Jadhav Wrestling Stadium, drawing over 12,000 attendees for a two-day cultural feast of sound, flavour, and art.

    Day one was a blend of heritage and innovation. Carnatic maestro TM Krishna struck a soulful opening chord, followed by Job Kurian’s indie charm and the fresh energy of Aattam & Bhadra Rajin. Padma Bhushan awardee Shobana stole the spotlight with her first-ever North India stage performance, a dazzling fusion of Bharatanatyam and cinematic artistry. The evening closed with Avial’s trademark Carnatic rock anthems that had the crowd chanting for more.

    If tradition led the way on day one, day two was about shaking things up. All-women hip-hop collective Wild Wild Women turned up the swagger, Sooraj Santhosh brought his melodic warmth, Thaikkudam Bridge electrified the stage, and the Raghu Dixit Project delivered a high-voltage finale. Beyond the music, audiences tucked into a grand 20-plus dish Onam Sadhya and explored food pop-ups from Mahabelly, Naivedyam, Dakshin Canteen and more. With 60–65 per cent of attendees from southern states and a strong turnout from northern India, the festival lived up to its promise of being a cultural bridge.

    “South Side Story is more than just a music festival, it’s a vibrant celebration of art, culture, literature, cuisine, and community,” said Red FM and Magic FM Director & COO Nisha Narayanan. “It was uplifting to see such a diverse audience immersed in the South’s spirit at our 7th edition. At Red FM, we don’t just host events, we curate experiences that inspire, connect and resonate long after the final note.”

    With partners ranging from Royal Enfield and Bank of Maharashtra to Oxford Bookstore and Kerala Literature Festival, the event became a pan-cultural showcase. From ragas to rap, sambar to rock, South Side Story once again proved that Delhi can handle the heat and the spice of the South.
     

  • BGMS levels up with Rs 1.5 crore prize and biggest format shake-up yet

    BGMS levels up with Rs 1.5 crore prize and biggest format shake-up yet

    MUMBAI: Drop in, squad up, and watch the leaderboard go wild Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series (BGMS) is back with a bang. Nodwin Gaming’s flagship tournament, co-powered by Oneplus and Android, returns for Season 4 from 18 August to 14 September, with matches airing live daily on Star Sports Khel and JioStar between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm. With a prize pool of Rs 1.5 crore and a bold new dual-tier structure, this year’s edition promises to be the most inclusive yet.

    For the first time, viewers will get a multi-cam broadcast, one main stream, a dedicated map cam, plus four top-team cams that spotlight key players. From next week, player cams will zoom in on rising stars, giving fans an intimate look at gameplay. On the competition front, 24 pro teams will slug it out in the BGMS Masters Series, while another 24 squads including four all-women line-ups battle in the Challenger Series. The top four Challenger squads will advance to the playoffs, joining the lower-ranked Masters teams in a fight to secure one of 16 coveted semifinal slots.

    “BGMS has always been more than a tournament; it’s a cultural phenomenon… From grassroots to greatness, from campus halls to national TV. This is BGMS like you’ve never seen before,” said Nodwin Gaming co-founder & MD, Akshat Rathee welcoming partners OnePlus, Android, TVS and Bisleri onboard.  

    Adding to the thrill are returning mechanics like the Powerplay (double finish points in the first zone), Impact Player (weekend finish points doubled for one chosen star), and the Bounty System (10 bonus points for eliminating the daily target team from 21 August to 7 September). These features, paired with back-to-back LAN events running from noon to 8:00 PM, ensure fans get wall-to-wall action both on ground and on screen.

    “BGMS continues to break new ground in Indian esports, and we at JioStar are proud to bring this cultural movement to screens across the country,” added JioStar head of audience engagement and viewership and monetization initiatives Siddharth Sharma. “The expanded format, diverse participation and high-quality gameplay are exactly the kind of dynamic, youth-driven content we aim to champion.”  

    Season 3 of BGMS pulled in 145.5 million views across platforms, making it India’s most-watched esports tournament. With Season 4 airing on both television and JioStar for the first time, and inclusivity at its heart, BGMS is no longer just an esports league, it’s a cultural festival where campus hopefuls, pro gamers, and even all-women squads share the same battleground.

  • Love at first sight unseen in Zee5 rom-com Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan

    Love at first sight unseen in Zee5 rom-com Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan

    MUMBAI: Who says love needs eyes to see? Sometimes, it only takes a train ride, a song, and a spark to light up a story. That’s the heart of Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, a tender rom-com inspired by Ruskin Bond’s The Eyes Have It, premiering on Zee5 on 5th September.

    Produced by Mini Films and directed by Santosh Singh, the film follows Jahaan (Vikrant Massey), a blind musician with a gift for melody, and Saba (Shanaya Kapoor, in her debut), an aspiring actress with fire in her heart. Their chance meeting on a train sets off a connection not bound by sight but built on shared dreams, witty banter, and moments that toe the line between humour and heartache. Adding depth to the journey is Zain Khan Durrani in a supporting role.

    The soundtrack, composed by Vishal Mishra and featuring vocals by Jubin Nautiyal, Asees Kaur, and Mishra himself, adds another emotional layer to this story of love beyond appearances. Zee5’s Kaveri Das calls it a “refreshingly unconventional rom-com that speaks to both heart and humour.”

    For Massey, playing Jahaan was “an enriching experience that revealed strength in vulnerability,” while Shanaya Kapoor describes her role as “the perfect story to begin my journey with.” Their chemistry promises both light-hearted fun and stirring emotion.

    With its playful warmth and soulful undercurrents, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan invites audiences to “dil se dekho” see with the heart. On 5th September, when it streams exclusively on Zee5, viewers might just find themselves falling for a love story that proves sometimes the most powerful connections are the ones you don’t see coming.

  • TukTuki takes a vertical leap with micro-drama app for India

    TukTuki takes a vertical leap with micro-drama app for India

    MUMBAI: Move over reels, there’s a new drama queen in town and she goes by the name TukTuki. Officially launched today, TukTuki is one of India’s first vertical-only micro-drama apps, serving up tightly packed 1–3 minute episodes that together build into an hour-long film. Designed for mobile-first audiences, it’s storytelling reimagined for shrinking attention spans.

    With India’s short-form video boom showing no signs of slowing, TukTuki taps directly into the trend by blending bite-sized consumption with big-hearted tales. Each show is crafted for vertical viewing, making dramas as scrollable as memes but with the emotional punch of traditional storytelling. Founder Anshita Kulshrestha summed it up best: “TukTuki is a celebration of India’s cultural diversity and storytelling spirit.”

    At launch, the app debuts original dramas in Hindi, with rollouts planned in Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati and more languages. The focus is hyperlocal, family-friendly, and refreshingly clean, a deliberate counter to cluttered feeds. Future updates promise new genres from sports to mythology. Crucially, TukTuki lowers entry barriers for smaller towns by allowing streaming without mandatory logins, making drama accessible even for first-time app users.

    With micro-dramas stitched into snackable episodes, TukTuki might just turn the mundane metro ride or chai break into a cinematic binge. It’s a pocket-sized stage, but the ambition is all heart.

    Would you like me to also craft an alternate headline with a wordplay on “bite-sized drama”, to lean more on the snackable-entertainment angle?

  • Big FM tunes into the power of sun with record-breaking solar campaign

    Big FM tunes into the power of sun with record-breaking solar campaign

    MUMBAI: When the sun comes up, Big FM doesn’t just play music, it powers it. The radio giant, in partnership with the Adani Group, rolled out its ambitious ‘Story of Suraj’ campaign, turning solar energy into a cultural talking point across India. The 360-degree initiative spanned 39 cities, blending radio, digital, and on-ground activations. Its opening act? A nationwide content roadblock introducing every listener to Suraj Bhaiya’s story. With 80 RJs creating over 250 content pieces, the campaign reached an impressive 2.91 crore listeners on-air. Online, it struck another chord, clocking 21 million plus digital impressions across Big Live and RJ social handles.

    But the real showstopper came when Big FM set a world record with the first-ever dual-city solar-powered live broadcast, running studios in Delhi and Pune entirely on solar energy no grid, no diesel. The feat earned spots in both the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records, putting sustainability firmly in the spotlight.

    The campaign didn’t stop at the airwaves. Listeners tuned into stories of solar-powered villages, practical tips, and pledge walls across Delhi, Pune, Modhera, Indore and Lucknow, while the Solar Rooftop Studio Shift showcased the lives of real solar beneficiaries. The crescendo came from Modhera Gram Panchayat, India’s first fully solar-powered village, where Big FM went live to give audiences a glimpse of a cleaner, greener future.

    As Big FM’s CEO Sunil Kumaran summed up: “When purpose meets innovation, the impact can extend far beyond the airwaves.” And with ‘Story of Suraj’, the network proved that sustainability can be as powerful as any song on the charts.

  • Government to launch centralised digital music licensing registry within two months

    Government to launch centralised digital music licensing registry within two months

    NEW DELHI:  India’s information and broadcasting ministry will roll out a centralised digital music licensing registry by October 2025, in partnership with rights societies, as part of a wider push to unlock the country’s live entertainment sector.

    The decision was sealed at the inaugural meeting of the joint working group (JWG) on promoting live events, chaired on 26 August at the National Media Centre by Sanjay Jaju, secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry.

    Officials from the ministries of culture, youth affairs and sports, skill development, finance and DPIIT joined, alongside the Sports Authority of India and state governments from Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Industry bodies Ficci, CII, Eema and Ilea sat across the table from companies including BookMyShow, Wizcraft, Saregama, District by Zomato and Touchwood Entertainment. Rights societies IPRS, PPL, RMPL and IMI Trust were also present.

    Key outcomes included integrating live-event approvals into the India Cine Hub portal to cut red tape, drafting a model policy for multi-use of stadiums and public spaces, and embedding live-entertainment skills in the national skills framework. Financial incentives—from GST rebates and blended finance to subsidies and MSME recognition—were also discussed.

    Prime minister Narendra Modi has recently described live entertainment as an engine for jobs, tourism and cultural influence. The sector was worth Rs 20,861 crore in 2024 and is growing at 15 per cent annually, buoyed by demand in tier-one and tier-two cities and a rising appetite for music tourism.

    Jaju said the government’s target is to place India among the world’s top five live-entertainment destinations by 2030, with potential to create 15–20m jobs. “The JWG will work to harness the concert economy as a driver of infrastructure growth, employment, tourism and soft power,” he said.

    The JWG was formed in July on the orders of union I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. It will meet regularly to review progress and feed policy recommendations, building on the white paper India’s Live Events Economy: A Strategic Growth Imperative unveiled at the Waves 2025 summit.

  • Smart Bazaar, gives retail therapy a makeover with Mccann’s new campaign

    Smart Bazaar, gives retail therapy a makeover with Mccann’s new campaign

    MUMBAI: When life upgrades from jugaad to joy, retail must follow suit. Smart Bazaar has roped in Mccann Worldgroup India for its latest campaign, a creative push that mirrors the country’s shift from “making do” to “living well”. Based on insights into evolving Indian households, the campaign spotlights how homes today are being redesigned with purpose organised kitchens, thoughtful bathrooms, and living spaces that blend function with flair. The message? Families no longer just seek affordability; they aspire to elevate everyday living with quality and comfort at the core.

    “Smart Bazaar isn’t just another retail chain; we are emerging as the value-first catalyst for everyday aspiration,” said Reliance Retail CMO Surabhi Sen noting how the brand aims to bridge necessity with desire. Mccann Worldgroup India CEO & CCO Prasoon Joshi added, “India is at a cultural inflection point. Families are realising that living well isn’t about luxury, it’s about dignity, joy, and shared values. With Smart Bazaar, we tapped into that truth and gave it an authentic yet aspirational voice.”

    With this collaboration, Smart Bazaar positions itself as more than just a marketplace, it’s pitching itself as a partner in everyday upgrades, making better living accessible to households across India.