MAM
Atypical Advantage empowers 200 plus disabled artists with Rs 1 cr livelihood
Mumbai: In a remarkable step towards inclusivity and empowerment, Atypical Advantage, India’s leading livelihood platform for people with disabilities, celebrates a significant milestone. Over 200 artists with disabilities have collectively earned more than Rs 1 crore through collaborations between Atypical and various brands across India.
More than 250 plus brands including Nestle, Accenture, Godrej, Amazon, Tata Power, Adani, Pepperfry, Dell Technologies, Tata Steel, Mad Over Donuts, and others have partnered with Atypical Advantage to educate and entertain their millions of employees while providing a platform to help artists with disabilities be self-sufficient and earn a dignified income.
Over the past three years, this initiative has provided livelihood opportunities across various sectors, spanning singing, dancing, stand-up comedy, motivational speaking, visual arts, as well as freelance services like voiceover, content writing, and photography. Artists who have benefited from these opportunities are from all across the country and encompass a diverse range of disabilities such as visual disability, down syndrome, hearing impairment, and more.
Varun Naren, an artist from Mumbai with autism spectrum disorder, has earned nearly Rs. 2,70,000 through artwork sales and corporate doodling sessions. He said, ‘My artistic journey has been incredibly fulfilling, and teaching doodling at corporate events has allowed me to share my passion and be financially independent.’ Another artist with autism spectrum, Karthik Krishnamurthy, a renowned singer based in Chennai, has earned close to Rs. 85,000 from the platform with a series of shows, including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, where he was a finalist.
Atypical Advantage founder & CEO Vineet Saraiwala stated, “As a visually impaired individual myself, I understand the importance of livelihood. We are thankful to our partnered brands and by 2030, we aim to positively impact the livelihood of over 1000 artists with disabilities and generate earnings exceeding 15 crore”.
Popular brand Arvind Ltd’s ‘Fashion for All’ campaign, Nestle’s #MotherhoodMadeMemorable campaign where artists with disabilities created hampers for maternity break mothers, inclusive brunches with performances by artists with disabilities across 6 Leela Properties and 11 Lalit Properties in December 2023, Mad Over Donuts’ artwork exhibition by disabled artists in their selected stores, Pepperfry’s promotion of digital art created by artists with disabilities in 43 stores across 10 plus cities, Tata Power’s sports carnival showcasing Mallakhamb performances by disabled individuals along with simulation games for employee sensitisation, and other notable initiatives have contributed significantly towards livelihood generation and awareness-raising.
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.
