MAM

#MeraFarzHai campaign launched on Women’s day

Published

6 years ago

March 9, 2020

MUMBAI: #MeraFarzHai, a unique and innovative initiative that deals with the menace of sexual harassment was launched at Viviana Mall in partnership with the Thane Police this women’s day. The campaign encourages everyone to make it their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of women across the board and contribute towards ending this menace that plagues society.

Launched under the aegis of the ‘ExtraordiNaari’ initiative by Viviana Mall this campaign released a film which will be showcased across all theatre screens in the Thane, Kalyan and Dombivli area in approximately 40 theatres and 150 screens. A special self-defense training workshop was also organized at the event conducted by a leading martial arts practitioner who has over 30 years of experience in training women across the armed forces, police and even the BSF. A flash mob was also performed by a leading dance group to support and share the pertinence of the message and the #MeraFarzHai. The mall also announced a special self-defence training program for women which will be conducted in the mall atrium on Women’s Day (Sunday 8th March). The number of expected women to be trained at this session is around 1000 women including shoppers, staff, walk-ins etc.

The mall has set up a pledge booth and organized a unique way of introducing the film to the public where they asked patrons to blindfold themselves and read out a touching poem that aligned their minds to the plight of women and the horrors they go through on a daily basis. The film was screened post this and the impact that it had on the audience was profound. The #MeraFarzHai hashtag was unveiled by Joint Commissioner of Police, Shri. Suresh Kumar Mekhla.

Speaking to us on the launch of this social initiative Ms. Rima Kirtikar, Chief Marketing Officer, Viviana Mall said, “As a responsible corporate we have always introduced programs and campaigns that are aligned to the benefit of society in general and in particular our ExtraordiNaari program has always focused on women and their welfare. This year we believed that the sensitive issue of harassment and abuse needed to be addressed and the pertinent point that came about was that it is always someone else’s problem and issue to be solved. The idea here was to involve society to be more conscious and to take the onus on to themselves to report any incident and get involved where necessary to become a deterrent to incidents. The campaign puts the onus of creating a safer world for women, on each one of us. The film is part of a larger campaign which will be rolled out in the coming weeks, but the maximum communication around this is through the film which is being screed across 40 theatres and 150 screens in the region. We believe that a more inclusive and participative community goes in a long way to create a more secure and safe environment for all.”

Commenting on the event Joint Commissioner of Police Shri. Suresh Kumar Mekhla Said, “It is not only the responsibility of the police but also the entire community to come forward to make a society that is safe for women. We applaud such initiatives that highlight the atrocities and make people aware of their rights and responsibilities towards the community. If we all come together as one and work in harmony with each other, we can ensure that we create a model society for all where crime has no place and women and children can feel safe and secure. We encourage and welcome enthusiastic participation of one and all in this initiative.”

In addition to this, the program will see gender sensitization workshops and training programs being conducted across schools, colleges and even workspaces. Viviana Mall has tied up with associations for Martial Arts training and other self-defense techniques to women/girls across schools, colleges and workspaces. School kids too will be part of this program, starting from 5thStd, where girls will be given the lessons on self-defense and seminars on gender sensitization and sexual harassment will be for boys. Viviana mall will conduct these training programs in schools across thane city and will extend its reach to all schools and institutions over the next few months.

Although #MeraFarzHai began as a campaign to safeguard women against those who violate their rights and space, the DNA of the campaign was in fact, all about encouraging and pushing individuals to take action for every cause possible. The first step of this campaign #MeraFarzHai initiated with making sure each and every one has the contact number for women’s safety helpline, but it soon, encompassed all imperative emergency and helpline numbers. Be it children welfare, ambulance emergency or even fire emergency, the campaign #MeraFarzHai equips each one and all with the armour one needs, to carry out their Farz.

Viviana Mall through its flagship campaign – ‘ExtraordiNAARI’ aims to take up various women centric social causes and aims for the betterment of women in society by creating awareness and a long-lasting impact on society.

In 2018 Viviana Mall launched #STOPACIDSALE campaign where they highlighted unheard and untold stories of acid attack survivors in India. The entire concept was taken a notch ahead, where the acid attack survivors walked the ramped at a leading Fashion Week. Viviana Mall was lauded for its innovative and socially relevant campaign against the sale of Acid aimed at prevention of an ever prevalent social malaise of scarring caused by Acid Attacks at the ICSC Asia Pacific Shopping center awards 2018.

In 2019, the Mall applauded Women on Wheelchair through their campaign #Respectwomenonwheelchair. This campaign was in association with the NINA foundation, which aimed to portray women who have broken through the shackles of disability and achieved success in their respective fields despite facing challenges. Through ExtraordiNAARI Viviana Mall aims to facilitate changes in the society in the coming years.

Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.