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Fadnavis and Akshay steal the show at Ficci Frames with wit and wisdom

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MUMBAI: When politics met popcorn, the stage lit up brighter than any movie set. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and actor-producer Akshay Kumar turned their fireside chat at Ficci Frames 2025 into an unmissable blockbuster of ideas, humour and social commentary complete with punchlines, promises, and plenty of applause.

The lively session opened with Fadnavis reflecting on Maharashtra’s deep cultural roots, particularly the enduring power of Marathi theatre. “Even today, Marathi plays draw packed houses and have achieved world records of 10,000 shows,” he said with pride. “That same creativity and expression are now being carried forward into Marathi cinema.” He credited the state’s audience for keeping the art form alive, adding that even as big-budget films dominate the box office, Marathi films continue to thrive.

“Two Marathi films now release on the same day and both become blockbusters,” he smiled, calling it a “remarkable phase” for the regional industry. He further shared that the state government has introduced multiple schemes to support Marathi filmmakers and production houses but admitted there was more work to do. “We’ve not yet made a specific effort to connect Gen Z with Marathi cinema,” he acknowledged, promising to focus on that new mantra going forward.

The conversation soon turned cinematic when Akshay Kumar, ever the entertainer, asked the CM a tongue-in-cheek question: “Do you watch films? Tell me, are films copying crime, or is crime copying films?”

Fadnavis’ reply was quick and disarmingly honest. “Crime is ahead of films,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience. He elaborated that while early criminals often modelled themselves on filmi gangsters, the real danger today lies in cybercrime. “These cybercriminals are advancing faster than technology itself. Crimes like phishing, sextortion, and digital frauds are becoming more complex,” he warned.

Turning serious, the CM called for the film industry to highlight digital crimes as a tool for public awareness. “Our new heroes should be those who fight cyberwars. Films have immense power to communicate emotion and they can play a vital role in creating awareness about the threats of the digital world.”

Akshay Kumar then lightened the mood again, sharing details of his upcoming film Haivaan, where he plays a negative character. “Should I do it, sir?” he asked with mock hesitation. Fadnavis was encouraging: “You should definitely do it! For a versatile actor like you, every role adds depth. Sometimes even a villain leaves a stronger impression than the hero.”

The audience chuckled, and Akshay quipped, “Then I’ll do it! Usually, I’m always the hero.”

Their repartee moved from reel life to real life when Akshay jokingly asked whether the end of Mumbai’s metro construction, a project currently dominating city roads could be marked by declaring a new public holiday. “Sir, once the metro work is over, can we call that day ‘Maharashtra Day’?” he laughed.

Fadnavis took the jest in stride but offered an earnest apology to Mumbaikars for the traffic chaos. “It’s temporary pain for permanent gain,” he said. “We are building tunnels, underground roads, and metro lines on a massive scale. Our goal is simple, “Mumbai in 59 minutes.” You should be able to travel from any part of the city to another in under an hour.”

He promised that once the projects were completed, the government would indeed celebrate the milestone with Mumbaikars. “As soon as the work is over, we’ll make it a celebration, a true Maharashtra Day.”

Akshay, ever the quick wit, interjected, “Sir, that day’s already a holiday!” prompting another round of laughter.

As the conversation wound down, Akshay switched gears to a more practical issue, the footwear of Maharashtra Police. Drawing from his background in fitness and action, he observed that police personnel, especially women, often wear formal shoes that could cause long-term back and spinal issues. “Those heels make it difficult to run or chase criminals,” he said earnestly. “If their shoes change, it’ll make a world of difference.”

Fadnavis appeared genuinely intrigued. “No one has brought this up before,” he admitted. “If you can design something better, we’ll definitely adopt it.”

Akshay, with a grin, promised, “I’ll make brown shoes and show them to you. Once that happens, Maharashtra Police will run faster than any criminal!”

The crowd erupted into applause, a fitting end to a conversation that was equal parts meaningful and mischievous.

Beyond the laughs and light-hearted banter, the exchange between Fadnavis and Akshay reflected a shared belief in creativity as a catalyst for change. From promoting Marathi cinema and addressing cyber threats to imagining a better Mumbai and healthier police force, the duo’s dialogue showcased how entertainment and governance can intersect in refreshing, relatable ways.

And if Ficci Frames had a closing act, this one certainly deserved the standing ovation. After all, when the Chief Minister and Indian cinema’s ultimate Khiladi share the stage, Maharashtra gets both a vision and a sequel worth waiting for.

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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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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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