MAM
Goafest 2016 Young Abby Gold Winners donate their winning prize to fight gender violence
MUMBAI: In a refreshingly selfless move, the winners of Goafest 2016 Young Abby Awards – Bodhisatwa Dasgupta & Nitesh Sah – have requested the Abby Awards Governing Council to cancel their trip to the Cannes Advertising Festival that they won and donate the money to an NGO that woks in elimination of gender violence.
Bodhisatwa and Nitesh, both currently employed at JWT, had won the coveted Gold medal of the newly launched Young Abby Awards at the recently concluded Goafest 2016. The duo had won the metals and much accolade for their campaign against gender violence and were scheduled to undertake a fully funded trip to the Cannes Advertising Festival in mid-June this year.
Honoring the request of the inspiring young achievers, The ABBY Awards Governing Council has decided to contribute a sum of INR 8 lacs (the monetary equivalent of the trip cost) to reputed NGOs doing significant work in the field of gender violence and sensitization.
Talking about their intent behind this noble initiative the young guns Bodhisatwa Dasgupta & Nitesh Sah “It all started with the brief, really. The task was to do an ad campaign that lessened the number of incidents of gender violence in India. Now I have huge respect for advertising. Advertising can do many great things. But lessen the incidents of gender violence on-ground – Not so much to the last mile. We knew what we had to do. We though if you’re really serious about gender violence, don’t send us to Cannes (as was promised to the winners). Instead, donate the money you would spend on a lavish trip to an NGO that works closely with rehabilitating victims. We’re glad our entry won and happier still that the Goafest team agreed to donate the money, as was humbly requested” .
Speaking about the encouraging move by the duo, Goafest Organizing Committee chairman Nakul Chopra said, “Such thoughtful steps by the young showcase their greatness and acts as a great motivation for all around. It is uplifting and humbling to see the two super achievers from the advertising fraternity take such an inspiring stance. We are happy to able to contribute in their cause and hope that more and more youngsters continue to be moved and inspired by their contribution.”
Lauding the decision taken by the duo, Awards Governing Council of Goafest 2016 chairman Ramesh Narayan said “The advertising fraternity prides in its power and potential to be agents of change in society. These two young guns Bodhi and Nitesh and their highly honorable initiative is an inspiration for all of us to walk the talk. I have always been honored to be a part of this industry but today I’m honored that I work among such talented and compassionate individuals.”
The winning campaigns by Bodhisatwa Dasgupta and Nitesh Sah – Question, Kidding, Old Fashioned is centered around the evils of gender violence and the need to eliminate it. The duo endeavored to make a real difference with their campaign and their move towards giving up their winning prize trip is another step towards bringing change and awareness on the issue of gender violence in India.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
