iWorld
Audio, web series and films that will move you and broaden your perspective
Mumbai: Happy Pride, listeners! This June, we’re excited to share a curated list of audiobooks, podcasts, web series and films that are perfect for celebrating the spirit of pride. From adventures to romantic thrillers, here are fabulous titles that support queer representation in all its forms. They help convey that no matter where you fall on the spectrum, inclusivity is beautiful and worthy of being celebrated. Enjoy these stories that capture the multi-faceted nature of love and the fight for freedom to express oneself!
Platform: Audible
Set against the backdrop of Sydney’s Coogee Beach, ‘Desi Down Under’ is a coming-of-age story that follows three best friends Deven (Adarsh Gaurav), Meenu (Prajakta Koli), and Rahul (Taaruk Raina) cross the ocean to learn surf-lifesaving skills, but their adventure quickly becomes much more than they anticipated. Rahul radiates joy and embraces his sexuality with pride despite societal pressures. As Rahul steps into Sydney, he meets Taylor, an Italian resident who challenges his fear of commitment and ignites a thrilling path of self-discovery, love, and surprises. This podcast series promises an inspiring and relatable tale that celebrates the courage to be oneself.
Platform: Audible
In ‘Mine and Yours Season 2,’ Priya’s (Sayani Gupta) world is turned upside down when her ex-girlfriend Rashi (Kubbra Sait) unexpectedly returns from the US. Rashi’s arrival stirs up old emotions and creates tension in Priya’s current relationship with Jaiveer (Nakuul Mehta). Priya finds herself caught between the past and the present, navigating her evolving sexuality and the complexities of love. The ensuing rivalry between Rashi and Jaiveer for Priya’s heart sets off a whirlwind of jealousy and emotional conflict. Join this gripping tale as Priya, Rashi, and Jaiveer explore the depths of their feelings and fight for what truly matters in their pursuit of happiness, on this podcast.
Platform: Audible
‘Queer West,’ hosted by the charismatic Niecy Nash-Betts, is a journey through the untold stories of the American West, where LGBTQ+ lives have long thrived against the backdrop of cowboy lore and Hollywood myths. In each episode, Niecy guides listeners through a wild exploration of forgotten histories, uncovering how queer people have continuously shaped and redefined the Western landscape. This Audible series invites you to saddle up and ride alongside queer pioneers, challenging perceptions and reclaiming their rightful place in Western history.
Platform: Audible
This audiobook is an inclusive audio guide authored by Rowan Ellis, offering heartfelt advice and comforting stories to empower queer girls. From understanding one’s identity to navigating relationships and mental health, this supportive resource serves as a beacon of empowerment and validation for girls exploring their queer-ness. Through personal anecdotes and guest contributions, the audiobooks discusses the complexities of LGBTQ+ life, fostering a sense of community, and resilience.
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
‘Made in Heaven’ follows Tara (Sobhita Dhulipala) and Karan (Arjun Mathur), two wedding planners in Delhi. As they navigate arranged marriages, societal pressures, and hidden desires, exposing the clash between tradition and modern aspirations< the show also portrays LGBTQ+ characters and their struggles. It offers a refreshing perspective within the Indian social context – you’ll encounter characters grappling with their identities, facing societal expectations, and navigating the complexities of love. It’s a show that celebrates love in all its forms while offering a thought-provoking look at the challenges faced by those who don’t conform to traditional norms.
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Casey McQuiston’s royally romantic and wildly popular bestseller, ‘Red, White & Royal Blue,’ is an enemies-to-lovers story that explores the unexpected romance between America’s First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), and the Prince of Wales (Nicholas Galitzine). Alex finds himself embroiled in a media storm after a public altercation with Prince Henry strains relations between their nations. To contain the scandal, they stage a fake friendship, but what begins as a superficial truce evolves into a profound love affair. Tune in for a rollercoaster of emotions in this beautiful film adaptation of the book.
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Set in the 1950s, ‘My Policeman’ explores a forbidden love triangle between a policeman named Tom (Harry Styles), his school teacher Marion (Emma Corrin), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). Tom feels a deep affection for Patrick, but societal pressures lead him to propose to Marion instead. Their seemingly happy marriage crumbles when Marion uncovers the truth, forcing all three to grapple with their desires and the strictures of the time. Through alternating perspectives and decades-spanning narratives, this film offers a powerful story of love, loss, and the fight for acceptance.
iWorld
Netflix celebrates a decade in India with Shah Rukh Khan-narrated tribute film
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.
e-commerce
Tulasi Mohan Padavala elevated to Associate Director at Blinkit
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.
e-commerce
Bharatpe plays a super over as Rohit Sharma fronts T20 push
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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