MUMBAI: Netflix India turned Mumbai into a battleground of brawns, brains and buzz as Squid Game Season 3 dropped with a live spectacle that felt straight out of the show’s playbook. In a first-of-its-kind activation, 19 of India’s top digital creators and one lucky fan faced off in real-life recreations of Squid Game’s infamous challenges – all cheered on by a screaming crowd of 900+ die-hard fans.
It was “Red Light, Green Light” meets influencer culture as names like Awez Darbar, The Rebel Kid, Gurleen Pannu, Aakash Gupta, Urooj Ashfaq, GamerFleet, and Ashish Solanki went full-throttle in a live taping that played out like the season’s highlight reel — complete with chaos, cliffhangers and meme-worthy moments.
The creators battled it out in iconic games from past seasons — including a laugh-out-loud six-legged sprint and a sneak peek of Jump Rope, a brand-new challenge from the final season — all while being broadcast to a sea of fans whose energy matched the stakes.
The grand finale? A live-action celebration of one of the most-watched thrillers on Netflix, amped up with raw fandom, creator energy, and IRL drama. This wasn’t your usual game night. This was Squid Game unplugged, unscripted, and unmissable.
Mumbai: DeadAnt, a media and entertainment company that’s at the leading edge of Indian comedy, today announced the much-anticipated fourth edition of India’s only comedy accolades: the DeadAnt Comedy Awards (DACA). Celebrating the pinnacle of comedic brilliance across diverse categories, DACA 2024 will honour comedians and comedy creators who entertained us and made us laugh in 2023. Starting from 18th May, fans can cast their votes for their favourite comedians—and their contributions to the world of comedy—in 10 popular categories on DeadAnt’s official website. The winners across all segments will be announced soon.
The competition will be at an all-time high with exciting face-offs in store at DACA 2024. From Zakir Khan, Tanmay Bhat, and Abhishek Upmanyu to Kusha Kapila, Shreeja Chaturvedi, and Urooj Ashfaq, among many others, India’s biggest and most talented comedians will be pitted against each other for the coveted titles. The ‘Best Online Comedy Special’ category will witness 15 renowned comedians going head-to-head, including Zakir Khan, Aakash Gupta, Biswa Kalyan Rath, and Anubhav Singh Bassi, among others. The ‘Best TV/Web Series/Format Show by a Comedian’ category will keep comedy superfans on the edge of their seats with nominees including Permanent Roommates S3, Guns & Gulaabs, Happy Family: Conditions Apply, and more. Furthermore, Kusha Kapila, who won Funniest Person On The Indian Internet Award last edition, will gear up to defend her title as she faces off against the likes of Niharika NM, Srishti Dixit, Vishnu Kaushal, Jose Covaco, to name a few, who are in the running for the accolade this edition around. But that’s not all! DACA 2024 will also feature Critics’ Choice Awards and Peer Picks Awards–each judged by a special hand-picked jury–which will be announced shortly as well.
DeadAnt founder & CEO Ravina Rawal remarked: “We are excited to return with another exciting edition of DeadAnt Comedy Awards, recognising talent in the Indian comedy landscape. Our beloved artists have achieved instrumental milestones in recent times, elevating the scale of Indian comedy culture to new heights, and we look forward to honouring them at DACA 2024. We invite all comedy superfans to be a part of this one-of-its-kind celebration of comedic excellence by voting in large numbers for their favourite comedians. After all, fans will play an integral role in helping them win big across various categories.”
Voting for DeadAnt Comedy Awards 2024 is now live on http://www.deadant.co/DACA24 with the winners set to be unveiled soon.
Mumbai: Happydent, Perfetti Van Melle India’s beloved chewing gum brand, has always been known for enabling sparkling smiles through its brand proposition “Dikha Battissi Kar Baat Achhi Si”. For the first time ever in India, Happydent hosted a one of its kind stand-up comedy show “Sign to Smile” in Mumbai on World Smile Day for the hearing impaired, breaking the barriers and embracing inclusivity. The show witnessed some of India’s favourite stand-up comedians taking the stage including Abhishek Upmanyu, Urooj Ashfaq, Anirban Dasgupta, Shreeja Chaturvedi, Shashwat Maheshwari, Madhvendra Singh along with three sign language translators who played a pivotal role in translating the show seamlessly. It also featured Shubham Chaudhary, an ISL (Indian Sign Language) performer and actor, who added a unique comedic dimension to the show while making it accessible to all.
In line with the World Smile Day theme ‘Do something kind and make someone smile’, the event proved that humor knows no boundaries. Happydent’s pioneering initiative not only showcased its dedication to spreading sparkling smiles but also underscored the importance of making the world a more inclusive place for all.
Commenting on this exceptional initiative, Perfetti Van Melle India chief marketing officer Gunjan Khetan stated, “On World Smile Day, we brought smiles that radiated from ear to ear. Happydent is all about sparkling smiles, and our unique event “Sign To Smile” exemplified our commitment to enabling smiles. We are proud to partner with India Signing Hands in creating an unforgettable evening of humor and inclusivity.”
Indian Signing Hands (ISH) founder & CEO Alok Kejriwal expressed their pride in being part of the ‘Sign to Smile’ show. They said, “Translating humour for the hearing-impaired audience is a rewarding experience, and ‘Sign to Smile’ by Happydent exemplifies the power of a smile in breaking down barriers. We are delighted to have contributed to this one-of-its-kind initiative, making smile accessible to all and fostering inclusivity through sign language.”
Harshil Karia, founder and MD of Schbang, the creative, media, and technology transformation company that partnered with Happydent on the ‘Sign to Smile’ campaign, shared his thoughts, stating, ” Our collaboration with Happydent for the ‘Sign to Smile’ campaign has been an inspiring journey into the realm of creativity and inclusivity. This initiative celebrates laughter’s universal appeal and aims to make humor accessible to everyone, breaking down barriers and uniting people from all walks of life. Happydent has entered a territory where humor becomes a universal language, and we’re excited for more innovative collaborations in the future.”
“Sign To Smile” transcends the boundaries of a typical comedy show and celebrates inclusion and the power of laughter to unite us all.
