Category: Brand Makers

Prasoon Joshi on WAVES: ‘A Powerful Signal from India to the World’

Joshi drew a compelling parallel between literature and marketing ethics, urging brands to reflect on their role in shaping consumer behavior. He cautioned against manipulation and emphasized the need for conscience-driven communication in the age of data.

“As an artist and someone who works in the creative field, being here feels timely. This is the moment. It’s time to rise, time to act and to bring your life’s work into focus. This is the right time,” Prasoon Joshi declared at WAVES 2025.

Trump plans 100% tariff on foreign films, expands trade wars to entertainment sector

In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump expressed his intentions to "Make Movies in America Again," directing both the U.S. Commerce Department and his trade representative to initiate the process of levying the tariff on foreign films.

This move, marking the first time the US has targeted the entertainment sector in its restrictive trade actions, is designed to boost domestic film production and support American-made movies.

‘The intent to connect with audiences remains constant’: Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos on India’s streaming revolution

Both Ted Sarandos and Saif Ali Khan praised WAVES as a platform that fosters collaboration between global and Indian storytellers.

At the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit in Mumbai, Ted Sarandos and Saif Ali Khan discuss how streaming in transforming India’s cultural narrative, empowering creators, and redefining cinematic boundaries.

Netflix CEO: $2 bn economic impact and 20,000 jobs created in India post Covid

The Netflix executive highlighted that streaming is more culturally relevant than fleeting trends especially in India. "India has always had a strong cinema culture; people love films, whether in theatres or on TV. Streaming met the audience where they already were. Not everyone can get to theatres, or afford tickets, or even have a local cinema. Streaming solved that."

At WAVES 2025,Ted Sarandos, Netflix, CEO, shared, “It’s amazing how diverse India is. We have produced 150 original films and series shot across 90 different cities in India.”

“We want to build with India, for India”: OpenAI’s Pragya Misra on AI’s expanding role in storytelling, business and innovation

“There is always this feeling that if you go to an AI model and ask something India-specific, it gives you global images,” Misra of OpenAI acknowledged. “We’ve made a conscious effort to ensure our tools serve the contextual needs of Indians far better,” she said.

India is OpenAI’s second-largest and fastest-growing market, says Pragya Misra, Public Policy and Partnerships Lead at OpenAI in India, as she outlines the company’s deep commitment to empowering Indian creators, MSMEs, and entrepreneurs through AI-driven tools and localised innovation.

Bookstrapping: Reading and its positive effects on mental health

Reading involves a highway system that connects the back of the brain’s reading network to the front. This highway system is an excellent basis to build new skills. Therefore, by keeping the brain active, reading fosters lifelong brain health, states Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta. (Image Source: Books Are Our Superpower)

In this week’s Bookstrapping, our reviewer Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta sums up that reading offers an avenue for emotional expression, self-reflection, and empathy. Not just that, it also provides an escape, a way to experience other worlds, and a means of finding solace in difficult times.

Delhi HC directs Baba Ramdev to refrain from using communal slurs in Rooh Afza controversy

This order came in the wake of a plea filed by Hamdard Foundation, the makers of the popular drink Rooh Afza, which accused Ramdev of making derogatory comments targeting their product.

The pharmaceutical and food company approached the court after Ramdev made controversial remarks in a promotional video on April 3, where he targeted Rooh Afza while endorsing Patanjali’s Gulab Sharbat.