iWorld
Netflix Hosts LA screening of Heeramandi with Sanjay Leela Bhansali Q&A
Mumbai: On Monday, 29 April (PST), Netflix hosted a special screening and Q&A with series creator, director, and producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, moderated by Lilly Singh to celebrate the upcoming series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.
Created and directed by one of India’s most celebrated filmmakers, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is his first-ever series premiering globally on 1 May only on Netflix.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series debut marks the first Indian series to be showcased at the historic theater, The Egyptian. The evening began with opening remarks from Netflix chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, followed by a screening of the first episode of the series and a lighthearted Q&A moderated by Lilly Singh. Notable attendees included Rushi Kota , Punam Patel, Nisha Ganatra, Joya Kazi, Tesher, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty, Kevin Kreider and many more.
Speaking to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Lilly Singh shared her admiration for the upcoming series and how she was mesmerised after watching the two episodes of the show. She expressed, “On behalf of all the audiences here, I can say that it was spectacular and so visually stunning.”
Reflecting on the project’s journey, Bhansali revealed, “The script for Heeramandi was charming, vast, and epic. The story was too long for a film, and I had the concept 18 years ago, but there were no OTT platforms then. I finally saw an opportunity to do it properly on an OTT platform, where you can develop it and enjoy each character. This story has taken the longest—18 years of nurturing, cherishing, and living it.”
Bhansali continued “Working with Netflix on my first series was a completely different experience. In 30 years of my career, I have never met producers as beautiful as them. They are tough, and relentless, and ask for honest directors to create content with the same passion. It’s good karma as a filmmaker to meet such producers, and I’m grateful to them.”
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar releases globally on 1 May only on Netflix.
http://www.netflix.com/Heeramandi
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
