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Tag: BIS ceritification

  • Funskool India appoints old-timer K.A. Shabir as new CEO

    Funskool India appoints old-timer K.A. Shabir as new CEO

    MUMBAI: Being in the toys business is no child’s play. But KA Shabir is willing to take on the challenge. From 1 January 2025, he has taken on the mantle of leading the leading Indian toymaker Funksool India Ltd , part of the MRF group,  as its CEO.. He replaces the very affable R. Jeswant  who was appointed in CEO  in 2020 and  retired year-end 2024. 

    Shabir has been with Funskool for over 33 years and is an accomplished techno commercial expert who has led many departments in Funskool such as international business, manufacturing, factory operations and new product development while also driving organisational growth. 

    “Funskool pioneered the concept of quality and safety in toys and has been instrumental in raising the standards of toys in India. To lead this 39-year-old organisation which has many firsts to its credit at a time when it is expanding rapidly, is an honour. As a team, we will bring out interesting and innovative creations to make playtime a delight for children,”  said Shabir.  

    Amongst the firsts to its credit is the BIS certification for the electric toys it manufactures  in its Goa plant as well for its non-electric toys it makes in its Ranipet  manufacturing facility. It received both the certifications in October 2020, much before the government set deadline of 1 January 2021. 

    For over a decade, Shabir has been the face of Funskool in the international fora within the toy industry.  He is hailed as one of the expert voices in the Indian toy industry. Shabir’s acumen for identifying market opportunities and devising tailor made strategies for new customers has expanded Funskool’s global footprints and its exports revenue. 

    Having excelled in his earlier role as vice president – international division and manufacturing, Shabir’s transition to the new role of CEO marks a new chapter in Funskool’s growth journey.  Under his leadership, Funskool is poised to drive innovation in product development, explore new markets, win more marquee customers from across the globe, use the best of technologies to improve toy manufacturing, further the sustainability initiatives and redefine toy industry standards, says a company press release..

  • Anurag Kashyap in recreating Mumbai of 1960

    Anurag Kashyap in recreating Mumbai of 1960

    MUMBAI: Anurag Kashyap, the filmmaker who is known to create and recreate cinema every time through his innovate concepts and ideas, is slated to come up with a new venture ‘Bombay Velvet‘. The movie has been made on historical lines of Mumbai, where he has recreated Mumbai of 1960s and filmed the story of how the city became a metropolis. The movie starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma has been shot on the various locations in Sri Lanka.

    According to him, "It is set in the 60s and I needed a consistent heritage look and a skyline to loyally depict the era. But, Bombay‘s skyline has transformed dramatically, most of the heritage buildings have been replaced by high-rises. So it did not fit the period we are looking to recreate. That‘s why we are shooting in Sri Lanka, starting next month," Kashyap told PTI.

    He further informed, "Unfortunately, India does not have a culture of preservation, whether it is films, monuments or buildings. Cities like Bombay have not been able to preserve their architectural heritage in the race for urban growth, and hence period films will face serious challenges in India, both in terms of shooting and authentically recreating the era."

    The writer-director whose movies, in the last few years, proven catalysis and brought into revolutionary changes in the Hindi cinema, including Dev D and Gang of Wasseypur, shared his challenges that he came across while researching for the film during the pre production process.

    The real challenge is unavailability of evidences or blueprints as most of the heritage buildings in Indian cities have either "disappeared or have been modified beyond recognition".

    As he elaborated on various challenges which he faced while researching on the topic, "Not only the buildings were missing, we did not know how an area, or the city in general looked during that period. So, we took help of not only available archival images but also approached families in Mumbai to share their old albums to help us in reimagining Bombay 50 years ago, a Bombay now largely missing in a vertically-growing Mumbai," he said.

    Some parts of the film are also likely to be shot in studios in Mumbai.

    The film is based on historian Gyan Prakash‘s book ‘Mumbai Fables‘. "I met Gyan before the book was published. And, when he told me about the story, I was fascinated. I never thought Bombay (Mumbai) had such a history. And, so Gyan wrote the book while simultaneously penning the script for the parallel adaptation," Kashyap told PTI.