iWorld
Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation
MUMBAI: Graphic India has announced the hire of veteran animation executive, Narendra Deshpande as senior vice president of production and animation. Deshpande will work closely with Graphic India’s Co-Founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajanand its EVP, Creative, Jeevan J. Kang, to scale up Graphic’s original animation production across television and digital platforms.
“Narendra brings to Graphic India two decades of animation production experience and excellence and it’s our great honor to have him join us in our mission to create original Indian characters and stories that captivate the imaginations of audiences around the world,” said Devarajan. “With an ever increasing number of new animated shows in production and development, Narendra will oversee our production scale-up and build a world-class execution pipeline.”
“After an enriching journey of 20 years in the animation industry, having learned a lot from each and every experience, I am now joining Graphic India with new hope and a new dream. With the intention to be more perfect, acquire more knowledge with open arms andaim to achieve great heights,” added Desphande. “With my dedication, devotion to my work and a bagful of new ideas, I had heard that if you ‘Choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’, and that’s exactly what I am going to do as pleasure in work gives perfection. I believe in hard work to get desired results. No gains without pains. Looking forward to a fantastic time at Graphic India.”
Graphic India is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through animation, comics and digital platforms. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 500 million people under the age of 25 and more than 900 million mobile phone users in the country.
The Company’s animated shows include, Chakra The Invincible, with superhero icon, Stan Lee and has appeared on Cartoon Network/Toonami as well as the Angry Birds ToonsTV platform.
Phantom Films recently announced a partnership with Graphic for a live-action Bollywood film based on Chakra, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane. They are also also working with acclaimed actor, Amitabh Bachchan on the launch of his first animated series, Astra Force, which will appear on Disney Channel later this year. It was also recently announced that Graphic India is working with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and Arka Media Works to create new content around the hit film,Baahubali.
Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics LLC, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and NYC Media Group, Start Media.
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
