iWorld
YouTube FanFest returns to India with global & local stars
MUMBAI: YouTube and Branded Limited with Pepsi, in association with HP have brought back the YouTube FanFest to Mumbai, which is an exclusive live show bringing together established and emerging YouTube stars from India and around the world with fans.
YouTube FanFest, which debuted in India last February, provides fans with the unique opportunity to meet their favorite internet heroes in person.
This year, YouTube FanFest is set to take center stage on 20 March at the NSCI Indoor Stadium in Mumbai. Over 6,000 fans will get face-to-face with some of YouTube’s biggest stars, local internet sensations and up-and-coming talent performing live on stage.
This year’s show features a dynamic mix of music, comedy, dance, fashion and even cooking, all together on one stage. The line-up for the YouTube FanFest Mumbai encore features 24 widely popular YouTubers, including Superwoman, Bethany Mota, Jus Reign, TVF ONE, Kanan Gill and Biswa Kalyan Rath and East India Comedy.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen popular Indian creators emerge on YouTube and excite people around the world. We’re bringing YouTube FanFest back to Mumbai for a second showing to celebrate this new generation of YouTube stars with some of YouTube’s most passionate fans in Asia,” said YouTube Asia-Pacific director of content and operations Gautam Anand.
“This FanFest in Mumbai is going to be the largest FanFest ever. More stars, more fun and more screaming fans in one of YouTube’s largest Asian markets,” said YouTube FanFest producers and branded CEO Jasper Donat.
According to PepsiCo India VP – marketing Vipul Prakash youngsters today are creatively inspired, not scared of new experiences and eager to live life in the now. He further stated that consumers and brands across the world are stepping it up to make great things happen through collaborative innovation and a sense of disruption that’s soon becoming a norm.
“For us, the YouTube FanFest exemplifies all of this and stands for original creativity and the young consumer taking control. These values perfectly embody the Pepsi consumer. We are extremely excited to partner with the YouTube FanFest this year, and in true Live It Abhi style, we look forward to cheering the creative, inventive and spirited young consumer,” added Prakash.
HP India head of marketing, printing and personal systems Lloyd Mathias believed that India has one of the youngest populations in the world and through the FanFest, HP is able to connect with the new generation who are bending the rules as they go creating and enjoying content.
“Keeping millennia’s’ needs in mind, HP has a range of stylish, yet productive notebooks, tablets and hybrid devices that will enable them to bring their creativity to life and go that extra mile,” Mathias said.
To make this day more memorable, fans will have chance to get up close and personal with the stars through promotions run by the YouTubers themselves. Jus Reign, Kurt Hugo Schneider, and Sam Tsui will join several other global and local music sensations for the performances in Mumbai.
“I’m pumped to finally be coming out to Mumbai to see many good looking faces that are way more good looking than mine, see you all on the 20th. ALL OF YOU…” said Reign.
“We are really looking forward to this Fanfest. We’ve never been to India and we are totally excited to be coming to Mumbai to meet fans and to collaborate with other artists,” said Schneider and Tsui.
“Biswa and I are extremely excited to host the second-ever FanFest in Mumbai, to see fans who like our work, and to meet other creators from around the world who we are fans of! We’re counting down the days!” said Kanan Gill.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
