Category: Social Media

TV News and Facebook Live

Television’s last bastion – live news – could be under threat. At least if one goes by the traction that two events got when they were broadcast live on social media last week. These were not shot with fancy news cameras by specialist videographers; they were shot using simple smart phones. The broadcast platform: Facebook, which has more than a billion users world wide and more than 150 million in India.

The first was when Lavish Reynolds opened up her Facebook Live app and started filming her boyfriend Philando Castile bleeding to death after being shot by the Falcon Heights, Minnesota police in their car at a traffic stop. And she kept continuously reporting from the aftermath of the scene. Apparently, the cops had stopped Castile’s car as it had a broken taillight. And they had asked him to bring out his ID and licence. Castile, Reynolds, states during the broadcast informed the police that he had a licensed firearm, but he was reaching in his pocket for his wallet to bring out his ID. The policeman, despite being informed of this, pumped four bullets into him, Reynolds says.

That video on Facebook has got more than 5.6 million views at the time of writing.

And it led to protests and rallies against police violence across the US of A the next day.

In Dallas, bullets rang out loud and clear during one of the rallies protesting police brutality. Six policemen were shot at by a sniper – Micah Xavier Johnson – from a building. Five of them died. Others were injured. Johnson who holed out against the policeman in a garage was later killed with the help of a robot and an explosive device.

The action on the streets, with the police scrambling around, was filmed by Michael Kevin Bautista and streamed live on Facebook. The video had been watched 5.6 million times once again at the time of writing. Michael got instant fame, getting onto CNN, BBC Radio, CBS, the Washington Post and TMZ apart from a host of other news outlets.

While a large chunk of TV viewers in the US have switched to OTT and VOD services, for their entertainment, cutting off their cable TV connections, most of them are still relying on TV channels for news. This is because TV broadcast helps make understanding news developments easier. But the fact is that news and its analysis is dependent on the slant that producers, reporters, owners – some with vested interests – give it.

Media observers say that the two developments mentioned above could be the fore bearers of the new age of un-curated, raw, reportage of developments – or news – as they happen on the ground during crime scenes, war, accidents, acts of violence or what have you. What would make this kind of reportage interesting is that it would be presented without any bias or agenda.

Imagine the scenario: lay Facebook users the world over whipping out their phones, filming incidents and reporting on them live. This could run into thousands and even hundreds of thousands. With viewers possibly running into millions as happened in the case of Reynolds and Bautista. The numbers could be higher too. Take Candace Payne who went live on Facebook, filming herself wearing a Chebacca mask and cackling away. The video has until the time of writing grossed 150 million views.

What could the emergence of tools such as Facebook Live and Twitter’s Periscope mean for Indian news TV? There’s disruption waiting to definitely happen with Indian news channels. Some amount of cynicism has crept in among those in the know about the way news is being presented by a majority of the news outlets. There’s always doubt on top of most viewers minds as most TV news channel promoters either have political or economic linkages or leaning.

The time could not be very far when Facebook Live could really start kicking in India. India is a mobile first nation with more than 250 million smart phone owners and around the same number surfing the net on their phones. Around 150 million young and old alike are always logged onto their Facebook accounts.

Give it a thought: if even 10 per cent of them tune into a development shot by a Facebooker and streamed live, the numbers would be more than the viewers than what the top TV news channels attract.

Clearly this is a phenomenon waiting to happen. Again and again. All it would require is a trigger or triggers. And a million news channels would suddenly pop up on Facebook. Giving out unadulterated, independent updates of developments.

In such a scenario a few questions need to be answered. Are not the regulations for broadcast news TV pretty rigid? Will the government seek to regulate and monitor the millions of Facebook live streams? Should it do so at all? Television news broadcast has a code of conduct, some of which is being followed. Could a new code of conduct be put in for Facebook Live news bearers? And will it be followed? How will that happen?

There are many other queries that could need an answer.

For that it’s over to the ministry of information and broadcasting. And if needed to the Telecom Regulatory of India.

July 12, 2016
TV News and Facebook Live

Television’s last bastion – live news – could be under threat. At least if one goes by the traction that two events got when they were broadcast live on social media last week. These were not shot with fancy news cameras by specialist videographers; they were shot using simple smart phones. The broadcast platform: Facebook, which has more than a billion users world wide and more than 150 million in India.

The first was when Lavish Reynolds opened up her Facebook Live app and started filming her boyfriend Philando Castile bleeding to death after being shot by the Falcon Heights, Minnesota police in their car at a traffic stop. And she kept continuously reporting from the aftermath of the scene. Apparently, the cops had stopped Castile’s car as it had a broken taillight. And they had asked him to bring out his ID and licence. Castile, Reynolds, states during the broadcast informed the police that he had a licensed firearm, but he was reaching in his pocket for his wallet to bring out his ID. The policeman, despite being informed of this, pumped four bullets into him, Reynolds says.

That video on Facebook has got more than 5.6 million views at the time of writing.

And it led to protests and rallies against police violence across the US of A the next day.

In Dallas, bullets rang out loud and clear during one of the rallies protesting police brutality. Six policemen were shot at by a sniper – Micah Xavier Johnson – from a building. Five of them died. Others were injured. Johnson who holed out against the policeman in a garage was later killed with the help of a robot and an explosive device.

The action on the streets, with the police scrambling around, was filmed by Michael Kevin Bautista and streamed live on Facebook. The video had been watched 5.6 million times once again at the time of writing. Michael got instant fame, getting onto CNN, BBC Radio, CBS, the Washington Post and TMZ apart from a host of other news outlets.

While a large chunk of TV viewers in the US have switched to OTT and VOD services, for their entertainment, cutting off their cable TV connections, most of them are still relying on TV channels for news. This is because TV broadcast helps make understanding news developments easier. But the fact is that news and its analysis is dependent on the slant that producers, reporters, owners – some with vested interests – give it.

Media observers say that the two developments mentioned above could be the fore bearers of the new age of un-curated, raw, reportage of developments – or news – as they happen on the ground during crime scenes, war, accidents, acts of violence or what have you. What would make this kind of reportage interesting is that it would be presented without any bias or agenda.

Imagine the scenario: lay Facebook users the world over whipping out their phones, filming incidents and reporting on them live. This could run into thousands and even hundreds of thousands. With viewers possibly running into millions as happened in the case of Reynolds and Bautista. The numbers could be higher too. Take Candace Payne who went live on Facebook, filming herself wearing a Chebacca mask and cackling away. The video has until the time of writing grossed 150 million views.

What could the emergence of tools such as Facebook Live and Twitter’s Periscope mean for Indian news TV? There’s disruption waiting to definitely happen with Indian news channels. Some amount of cynicism has crept in among those in the know about the way news is being presented by a majority of the news outlets. There’s always doubt on top of most viewers minds as most TV news channel promoters either have political or economic linkages or leaning.

The time could not be very far when Facebook Live could really start kicking in India. India is a mobile first nation with more than 250 million smart phone owners and around the same number surfing the net on their phones. Around 150 million young and old alike are always logged onto their Facebook accounts.

Give it a thought: if even 10 per cent of them tune into a development shot by a Facebooker and streamed live, the numbers would be more than the viewers than what the top TV news channels attract.

Clearly this is a phenomenon waiting to happen. Again and again. All it would require is a trigger or triggers. And a million news channels would suddenly pop up on Facebook. Giving out unadulterated, independent updates of developments.

In such a scenario a few questions need to be answered. Are not the regulations for broadcast news TV pretty rigid? Will the government seek to regulate and monitor the millions of Facebook live streams? Should it do so at all? Television news broadcast has a code of conduct, some of which is being followed. Could a new code of conduct be put in for Facebook Live news bearers? And will it be followed? How will that happen?

There are many other queries that could need an answer.

For that it’s over to the ministry of information and broadcasting. And if needed to the Telecom Regulatory of India.

July 12, 2016
Fork Media’s Buzzerati to gain access to readers of Twitter’s enterprise API platform Gnip

Mumbai: Fork Media’s social media influencer marketing platform Buzzerati is to get access to Twitter audience and content performance metrics for deeper business intelligence and richer analytics.

This follows a deal between Fork Media and Twitter’s enterprise API platform Gnip.

Buzzerati launched earlier this year at the Digital Marketing & Advertising Conference Adtech in New Delhi. The influencer recommendation platform helps brands strengthen their engagement with target customers on Twitter and other social media sources.

With this agreement, Buzzerati will have access to first-party Twitter data around aggregate audience demographics, brand intelligence, trend analysis, consumer interests and keyword associations. The data, along with Buzzerati’s own proprietary data processing algorithms, provides stronger recommendations to brands on choosing the right influencers for their campaigns. Brands can choose various influencer filters including the location, gender, mobile network and interests of their followers. In addition, Buzzerati will provide discovery to the absolute following, active followers, engagement of an influencer and their followers.

The data agreement also delivers more accurate measurement of impression and reaches data for influencer campaigns. Brands will now be able to view actual impressions of their influencer posts and better analyze the ROI of a campaign across paid and organic mediums. Brands can use the platform to drive brand-led advocacy campaigns or create viral distribution for their existing content.

Fork Media CEO and founder Samar Verma said, “We are excited about the opportunity to leverage Gnip data from Twitter, as we continue to evolve our offering. It will help us go to market even more rapidly and efficiently with solutions that will keep brands and agencies on top of their game. The agreement will also help us offer the most relevant and advanced influencer marketing platform. With the integration of this data, our clients will now have access to better influencer recommendations, which in turn will effectively enhance their campaign planning, execution and success. It will provide us access to the leading global source of real-time social media data, Twitter, allowing us to pursue new marketing opportunities, and offer the best analytics to more brands and agencies.”

Brad Bokal, who leads Gnip’s Twitter data partnerships and sales efforts in APAC, said: “We are committed to helping our global customers build lasting, value driven relationships with their clients.

“We are excited to work with Fork Media as they continue to integrate Twitter data into solutions that help their clients better understand user audiences and content performance on our platform” Bokal added.

July 11, 2016
Fork Media’s Buzzerati to gain access to readers of Twitter’s enterprise API platform Gnip

Mumbai: Fork Media’s social media influencer marketing platform Buzzerati is to get access to Twitter audience and content performance metrics for deeper business intelligence and richer analytics.

This follows a deal between Fork Media and Twitter’s enterprise API platform Gnip.

Buzzerati launched earlier this year at the Digital Marketing & Advertising Conference Adtech in New Delhi. The influencer recommendation platform helps brands strengthen their engagement with target customers on Twitter and other social media sources.

With this agreement, Buzzerati will have access to first-party Twitter data around aggregate audience demographics, brand intelligence, trend analysis, consumer interests and keyword associations. The data, along with Buzzerati’s own proprietary data processing algorithms, provides stronger recommendations to brands on choosing the right influencers for their campaigns. Brands can choose various influencer filters including the location, gender, mobile network and interests of their followers. In addition, Buzzerati will provide discovery to the absolute following, active followers, engagement of an influencer and their followers.

The data agreement also delivers more accurate measurement of impression and reaches data for influencer campaigns. Brands will now be able to view actual impressions of their influencer posts and better analyze the ROI of a campaign across paid and organic mediums. Brands can use the platform to drive brand-led advocacy campaigns or create viral distribution for their existing content.

Fork Media CEO and founder Samar Verma said, “We are excited about the opportunity to leverage Gnip data from Twitter, as we continue to evolve our offering. It will help us go to market even more rapidly and efficiently with solutions that will keep brands and agencies on top of their game. The agreement will also help us offer the most relevant and advanced influencer marketing platform. With the integration of this data, our clients will now have access to better influencer recommendations, which in turn will effectively enhance their campaign planning, execution and success. It will provide us access to the leading global source of real-time social media data, Twitter, allowing us to pursue new marketing opportunities, and offer the best analytics to more brands and agencies.”

Brad Bokal, who leads Gnip’s Twitter data partnerships and sales efforts in APAC, said: “We are committed to helping our global customers build lasting, value driven relationships with their clients.

“We are excited to work with Fork Media as they continue to integrate Twitter data into solutions that help their clients better understand user audiences and content performance on our platform” Bokal added.

July 11, 2016
YouTube ‘Unplugged’ likely to launch in 2017; ESPN, ABC, CBS ready to sign

MUMBAI: YouTube is working on deals with a few broadcasters including ESPN, ABC, and CBS for providing their TV service online without payment of any cable subscription.

While these three broadcasters seem closest to confirmation, there are reports that other large networks are also expected to soon get in on the action. The launch is expected in six to nine months or early next year.

The online streaming service may choose to give up smaller networks like HGTV, and try to replicate them with similar channels made up of YouTube videos.

A Bloomberg report said YouTube plans to call the service Unplugged and hopes to offer it for under $35 per month. The plan is to include a selection of key channels and to potentially sell small bundles of additional channels as add-ons.

However, YouTube Unplugged is bound to face some stiff competition whenever it eventually launches, with so many other established online TV services. It is learnt that YouTube’s plans might not go off completely without a hitch, as they are certainly not the only players in the space. There is Dish Network, Sony, and Hulu.com that are also offering similar deals for those who do not want to subscribe to cable.

YouTube Red, a subscription service that offers access to original shows, “doesn’t appear to be a hit.” And reports say this is “not surprising, given that many of YouTube’s one billion-plus visitors a month grew up not paying for anything on YouTube.”

It will be interesting to see how well the bigger broadcasters can play with major web streaming services.

July 11, 2016
YouTube ‘Unplugged’ likely to launch in 2017; ESPN, ABC, CBS ready to sign

MUMBAI: YouTube is working on deals with a few broadcasters including ESPN, ABC, and CBS for providing their TV service online without payment of any cable subscription.

While these three broadcasters seem closest to confirmation, there are reports that other large networks are also expected to soon get in on the action. The launch is expected in six to nine months or early next year.

The online streaming service may choose to give up smaller networks like HGTV, and try to replicate them with similar channels made up of YouTube videos.

A Bloomberg report said YouTube plans to call the service Unplugged and hopes to offer it for under $35 per month. The plan is to include a selection of key channels and to potentially sell small bundles of additional channels as add-ons.

However, YouTube Unplugged is bound to face some stiff competition whenever it eventually launches, with so many other established online TV services. It is learnt that YouTube’s plans might not go off completely without a hitch, as they are certainly not the only players in the space. There is Dish Network, Sony, and Hulu.com that are also offering similar deals for those who do not want to subscribe to cable.

YouTube Red, a subscription service that offers access to original shows, “doesn’t appear to be a hit.” And reports say this is “not surprising, given that many of YouTube’s one billion-plus visitors a month grew up not paying for anything on YouTube.”

It will be interesting to see how well the bigger broadcasters can play with major web streaming services.

July 11, 2016
“Day/Night test match is the way forward”, says Anil Kumble

MUMBAI: Within 12 days of being the coach for the Indian Cricket Team, Anil has already grabbed plenty of headlines with what he has said and done since his appointment. The newly crowned head coach has now indulged with his fans with an interactive Q&A session on Twitter.

Kumble answered questions from serious ones related to the team to personal ones. He opened up talking about why he is nicknamed Jumbo, whether we will see him with a camera in the West Indies, what he thinks about Ravindra Jadeja and what his greatest challenge will be on coach of India.

He answered the questions in a series of short personalised 30 second video responses , where he is quoted as saying “Navjot Singh Sidhu is the reason I got the name Jumbo. I once bowled a ball, that took off and he screamed ‘Jumbo-jet’, the Jet was lost but I have been called Jumbo ever since. On his greatest challenge as Indian cricket coach he said, “Consistency. It’s not going to be easy. We are playing 17 Tests in the next calendar year. It will be a challenge to keep them fresh and fit over the next year.”

Twitter India head of sports partnership Aneesh Madani commented, “Nine out of ten Twitter users in India are cricket fans, and Twitter is the best place for them to wake up to the sport and connect with their heroes. This was a historic moment as BCCI made the first ever Twitter Q&A by a Team India Head Coach happen today with #AskTheCoach. In this #OnlyOnTwitter moment, Anil Kumble gave fans exclusive glimpses into his life through the Twitter Q&A app, bringing fans closer and setting a new benchmark for interaction”.

He also admitted that Day/Night test match is the way forward.

“I would certainly back Day/Night (Test) cricket. Anything we need to do to get crowd back to Test cricket… At least that is the future. In Day/Night matches, people can come into the stadium after office hours,” replied Kumble.

Kumble termed Virat Kohli as a “fantastic batsman and leader” and he is excited to work with him. “I am really excited to work with Virat. I have seen him as U-19 at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has matured a lot in last couple of years. He is a fantastic batsman and leader. He is really aggressive and so was I. I am really looking forward towards working with him.”

Answering one of the quesries, he also mentioned that he expects Ravindra Jadeja to do well as the wickets in the Caribbean will suit his style of bowling. He did not forget to mention that he expects good things from all-rounder Jadeja.

“Jadeja is a wonderful all-rounder. I had a chat with him about his bowling. I think with his bowling, he can do a great job and be effective in West Indies conditions, which is pretty similar to Indian conditions. I have also spoken to him about his batting ability as he can score a lot of runs. I am looking forward to Jadeja doing a great job not only as a bowler but also as batsman,” said the former India captain.

July 6, 2016
“Day/Night test match is the way forward”, says Anil Kumble

MUMBAI: Within 12 days of being the coach for the Indian Cricket Team, Anil has already grabbed plenty of headlines with what he has said and done since his appointment. The newly crowned head coach has now indulged with his fans with an interactive Q&A session on Twitter.

Kumble answered questions from serious ones related to the team to personal ones. He opened up talking about why he is nicknamed Jumbo, whether we will see him with a camera in the West Indies, what he thinks about Ravindra Jadeja and what his greatest challenge will be on coach of India.

He answered the questions in a series of short personalised 30 second video responses , where he is quoted as saying “Navjot Singh Sidhu is the reason I got the name Jumbo. I once bowled a ball, that took off and he screamed ‘Jumbo-jet’, the Jet was lost but I have been called Jumbo ever since. On his greatest challenge as Indian cricket coach he said, “Consistency. It’s not going to be easy. We are playing 17 Tests in the next calendar year. It will be a challenge to keep them fresh and fit over the next year.”

Twitter India head of sports partnership Aneesh Madani commented, “Nine out of ten Twitter users in India are cricket fans, and Twitter is the best place for them to wake up to the sport and connect with their heroes. This was a historic moment as BCCI made the first ever Twitter Q&A by a Team India Head Coach happen today with #AskTheCoach. In this #OnlyOnTwitter moment, Anil Kumble gave fans exclusive glimpses into his life through the Twitter Q&A app, bringing fans closer and setting a new benchmark for interaction”.

He also admitted that Day/Night test match is the way forward.

“I would certainly back Day/Night (Test) cricket. Anything we need to do to get crowd back to Test cricket… At least that is the future. In Day/Night matches, people can come into the stadium after office hours,” replied Kumble.

Kumble termed Virat Kohli as a “fantastic batsman and leader” and he is excited to work with him. “I am really excited to work with Virat. I have seen him as U-19 at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has matured a lot in last couple of years. He is a fantastic batsman and leader. He is really aggressive and so was I. I am really looking forward towards working with him.”

Answering one of the quesries, he also mentioned that he expects Ravindra Jadeja to do well as the wickets in the Caribbean will suit his style of bowling. He did not forget to mention that he expects good things from all-rounder Jadeja.

“Jadeja is a wonderful all-rounder. I had a chat with him about his bowling. I think with his bowling, he can do a great job and be effective in West Indies conditions, which is pretty similar to Indian conditions. I have also spoken to him about his batting ability as he can score a lot of runs. I am looking forward to Jadeja doing a great job not only as a bowler but also as batsman,” said the former India captain.

July 6, 2016
Y-Films’s ‘Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa’ to enlighten young minds

MUMBAI: Why is it so tough to talk about sex in a country which is home of texts and temples such as the Kamasutra and Khajuraho? Children are not imbibed with appropriately curated or delivered sex knowledge in schools. Sex is still a taboo topic in India. Forget that, rather than providing an answer to the ‘curious minds’, most parents clam up when having to talk to kids about the ‘birds & the bees’. The bigger question that arrives here is: Why not satisfy them when in doubt rather than misinforming them or leading them to wrong sources of information.

Yash Raj Films’ youth arm Y-Films is here to deliver information across different themes related to sex / sexuality with its new web-series titled Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa. Divided into 5 parts of less than 10 minutes each, the fictional series will deal with everything from masturbation and periods to condoms, pregnancy and homosexuality. Each episode will deal with a new theme. “These are a few topics which are often kept in a closet and are never really discussed. Curiosities of children in today’s time are answered by Google. Research clearly shows that sex talk with parents is directly and clearly linked to safer sexual behaviour. They have incorrect perceptions about everything related to sex”, says Y-Films head Ashish Patil.

Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa is slated to launch by mid-July and will follow YFilms’s existing format with new episodes every Tuesday.

Patil further adds, “Through this series, we want to converse basic fundamentals of sexuality to everyone but in a clean, honest style with a lot of humour. It is a unique show of its kind in India and probably the world, certainly a show with a lot of heart.”

Targeted at everyone from kids to adults, the series is a story of the Watsa family featuring a curious 7-year-old boy, Punit Watsa (Kabir Sajid) nicknamed Pappu who shoots the most outrageous questions to his Papa, Anand (Anand Tiwari). The father attempts to answer them to the best of his ability initially with a lot of awkwardness and eventually with a lot of fun, simple anecdotes.

All this while his own father – the very traditional, conservative and possibly khadoos Pitaji played by Sachin Pilgaonkar- keeps questioning his actions. While his wife, the much pregnant, Shireen enacted by Sanjeeda Shaikh and mother, Usha Watsa aka Mataji played by Alka Amin get torn between this mad conflict and help Pappu & Papa find peace, balance and, of course, add a lot of their own masti to it.

The series also features Abish Matthew, Ali Fazal, Faisal Khan, Gaurav Pandey, Saba Azad, Sharib Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Urvashi Rautela, Dr. Piya Ballani Thakkar, etc., playing different characters.

The show is directed by Ashish Patil while Nikhil Taneja is the associate producer of the series. Written by Devang Kakkad and Gopal Datt, the series has been shot by Adil Afsar, while the catchy music has been given by Superbia.. The promo with its fun element has already garnered 126,357 views within three days of its launch and is created by Taxi Films.

Y-Films has heavily researched and ratified the concept of this series by some of the foremost medical experts, top hormonal, gynaecological doctors of the country.

The series is not targeting any specific category of brands to get on board as sponsors. “I think everyone should invest money in this. We are not focusing only on sex related brands. Anyone from Basmati rice to a car brand can hop on in as sponsors”, voices Patil.

Apart from promoting it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and its official page, the series is also available to be picked up by schools for free. “I think this show should be aired in all the schools for better understanding. I will give it for free if any school is keen to do so. We hope it creates some genuine social impact, not just locally but globally”, adds Patil.

Cheers to Patil and his team for providing sex education to impressionable minds, something that schools should have actually be doing!

July 4, 2016
Y-Films’s ‘Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa’ to enlighten young minds

MUMBAI: Why is it so tough to talk about sex in a country which is home of texts and temples such as the Kamasutra and Khajuraho? Children are not imbibed with appropriately curated or delivered sex knowledge in schools. Sex is still a taboo topic in India. Forget that, rather than providing an answer to the ‘curious minds’, most parents clam up when having to talk to kids about the ‘birds & the bees’. The bigger question that arrives here is: Why not satisfy them when in doubt rather than misinforming them or leading them to wrong sources of information.

Yash Raj Films’ youth arm Y-Films is here to deliver information across different themes related to sex / sexuality with its new web-series titled Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa. Divided into 5 parts of less than 10 minutes each, the fictional series will deal with everything from masturbation and periods to condoms, pregnancy and homosexuality. Each episode will deal with a new theme. “These are a few topics which are often kept in a closet and are never really discussed. Curiosities of children in today’s time are answered by Google. Research clearly shows that sex talk with parents is directly and clearly linked to safer sexual behaviour. They have incorrect perceptions about everything related to sex”, says Y-Films head Ashish Patil.

Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa is slated to launch by mid-July and will follow YFilms’s existing format with new episodes every Tuesday.

Patil further adds, “Through this series, we want to converse basic fundamentals of sexuality to everyone but in a clean, honest style with a lot of humour. It is a unique show of its kind in India and probably the world, certainly a show with a lot of heart.”

Targeted at everyone from kids to adults, the series is a story of the Watsa family featuring a curious 7-year-old boy, Punit Watsa (Kabir Sajid) nicknamed Pappu who shoots the most outrageous questions to his Papa, Anand (Anand Tiwari). The father attempts to answer them to the best of his ability initially with a lot of awkwardness and eventually with a lot of fun, simple anecdotes.

All this while his own father – the very traditional, conservative and possibly khadoos Pitaji played by Sachin Pilgaonkar- keeps questioning his actions. While his wife, the much pregnant, Shireen enacted by Sanjeeda Shaikh and mother, Usha Watsa aka Mataji played by Alka Amin get torn between this mad conflict and help Pappu & Papa find peace, balance and, of course, add a lot of their own masti to it.

The series also features Abish Matthew, Ali Fazal, Faisal Khan, Gaurav Pandey, Saba Azad, Sharib Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Urvashi Rautela, Dr. Piya Ballani Thakkar, etc., playing different characters.

The show is directed by Ashish Patil while Nikhil Taneja is the associate producer of the series. Written by Devang Kakkad and Gopal Datt, the series has been shot by Adil Afsar, while the catchy music has been given by Superbia.. The promo with its fun element has already garnered 126,357 views within three days of its launch and is created by Taxi Films.

Y-Films has heavily researched and ratified the concept of this series by some of the foremost medical experts, top hormonal, gynaecological doctors of the country.

The series is not targeting any specific category of brands to get on board as sponsors. “I think everyone should invest money in this. We are not focusing only on sex related brands. Anyone from Basmati rice to a car brand can hop on in as sponsors”, voices Patil.

Apart from promoting it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and its official page, the series is also available to be picked up by schools for free. “I think this show should be aired in all the schools for better understanding. I will give it for free if any school is keen to do so. We hope it creates some genuine social impact, not just locally but globally”, adds Patil.

Cheers to Patil and his team for providing sex education to impressionable minds, something that schools should have actually be doing!

July 4, 2016