iWorld
Cultural Machine with Sonu Nigam on streets of Juhu, Mumbai
MUMBAI: Culture Machine after launching campaigns like The Printing Machine, a poetical satire by Kalki; Radhika Apte voicing against body shaming through You’re beautiful, or ‘The Indian’ series describing the Indian Sikhs, Muslims and Dalits voicing various social issues. This time the company has launched a social experiment titled “The Roadside Ustaad” featuring Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam as disguised old man.
The video has been released on Culture Machine’s digital channel Being Indian. The video is an experiment with Sonu Nigam as an old man singing by the road in the busy lanes of Juhu, Mumbai. The pedestrians take notice of an old man singing in melodious voice with many pausing to enjoy a few moments but are forced to continue to hurry and move on with their lives. ‘The Roadside Ustaad’ captures mixed reactions of Mumbaikaars ranging from individuals stopping by and enjoying the old man’s singing to those who nonchalantly walk away. Inspired by the magical impact that music has on individuals, Sonu Nigam and Culture Machine sought to capture joyful moments that music has on our mechanical and monotonous lives.
Cultural machine says that this video is its attempt to make people realize that they can spare some time from busy lives and appreciate beautiful things inside. Expressing the same Cultural Machine creative director Karl Katgara said, “The whole idea behind this experiment was to inspire people to take a moment out of their busy lives and appreciate the beauty of music. To appreciate the many tiny miracles we pass every day and ignore, while we stare at our phones or lost in thought. To do this, who better than Sonu Nigam. He is one of the most sought after singers in the country, and the most recognizable voice. What was interesting to see at the time was, he created the same magic singing, just disguised as an old man, and people could not recognize him at all.
Sonu Nigam said, “I went without any expectations, totally bereft of any awkwardness for the way I was looking and what I was about to subject myself to. For the first time, I was not me, the make-up was so good and authentic,people standing so close to me, couldn’t recognise me. I was carrying the harmonium that my parents bought when I was born. It was all so humbling. And from such an unfamiliar zone, I managed to procure something. Gratitude, Grace and appreciation for what we have.”
iWorld
Rusk Media announces Battleground Season 2 on Amazon MX Player
Fitness reality show returns in April 2026 with bigger challenges and mentors.
MUMBAI: The arena is reopening and this time the competition promises even more sweat, strategy and spectacle. Rusk Media has confirmed the return of its fitness reality format Battleground for a second season, set to stream on Amazon MX Player from April 2026. The announcement follows the breakout success of the show’s debut season, which positioned itself as a high energy blend of sport, strategy and reality television. Season 1 brought together 16 contestants for a 28 day test of endurance and discipline, as aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts competed in physically demanding challenges and team based battles.
Divided into four teams, the participants trained under a panel of mentors drawn from the fitness and lifestyle space, with former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan serving as the show’s Super Mentor.
The format quickly found an audience among digital viewers and was listed among the most binged titles on Amazon MX Player. The show also picked up industry recognition, winning the “Most Popular Non Fiction Show” honour at the IWMBuzz Digital Awards 2025.
The first season also drew a slate of brand partnerships, including Honda Bigwing, Charged, American Pistachio Growers, Bigmuscles Nutrition, Ritebite Max Protein, Plix and Sparsh CCTV, highlighting the show’s appeal to brands targeting India’s rapidly growing youth and fitness audience.
For Season 2, the producers say the format will evolve with tougher physical challenges, a sharper competitive structure and deeper mentor involvement while continuing to focus on discovering the next generation of Indian fitness personalities.
Rusk Media, chief executive officer and co founder Mayank Yadav said the first season proved the appetite for competitive fitness storytelling. “Battleground was always envisioned as more than a show. Season 1 demonstrated that there is a massive audience for aspirational fitness competition at scale. With Season 2 we are going even bigger in ambition, intensity and opportunities for contestants and partners,” he said.
Rusk Ads lead Rahul Arora added that the series has also evolved into a strong platform for brand integration and advertiser engagement. “Season 1 showed that Battleground is not just compelling content but a powerful brand ecosystem. As we move into Season 2, we are looking to deepen brand collaborations and build more integrated partnerships,” he said.
With a larger format, an expanding fan base and a new season set to arrive in April 2026, Battleground is positioning itself as one of India’s emerging fitness reality franchises in the digital entertainment space.
