MAM
Harlequin India collaborates with maruti international’s upcoming movie- ‘Grand Masti’
NEW DELHI: Maruti International has teamed up with Harlequin India for a first of a kind content partnership to feature the characters of its blockbuster movie franchise – Masti & now Grand Masti in an exciting book.
For the first time ever in Bollywood, this International publishing house has licensed the character rights of a feature film.
Maruti International established in 1983 is one of India‘s leading Bollywood film production house, headed by Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar. Having worked with Bollywood Superstars like Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit and the internationally acclaimed Anil Kapoor on multiple projects, this production house boasts of a number of successful and iconic films produced from their stable such as “Mohabbat, Kasam, Dil, Beta, Raja, Mann, Rishtey, Masti, Pyare Mohan, Dhamaal, Daddy Cool, Double Dhamaal & Super Nani (currently under-production, starring Rekha and Sharman Joshi)”.
In 2004, Masti directed by Indra Kumar, set the trend of adult-comedy in Bollywood. Taking forward the legacy of this brand, Bollywood‘s current hot topic of Adultery is presented once again by him in a new and refreshing light, in the much-awaited sequel – Grand Masti. This light hearted comedy is like a breath of fresh air deviating from serious cinema, taking adult-comedy many notches higher than its original flick.
Harlequin is one of the world‘s leading publishers of books for women. The Toronto-based company publishes over 110 titles a month in 31 languages in 111 international markets on six continents. Harlequin is unique in the publishing industry, combining over highly recognizable imprints including – Harlequin, Mira Books, HQN Books, Harlequin Teen, Spice, Harlequin Nonfiction, Mills & Boon; a global reach, a highly successful reader service and forward-looking technology (eBooks, downloadable audio, mobile phone applications) that not only allows the company to move further and further into the forefront of women‘s fiction but continues to position Harlequin for growth.
Harlequin India, which started in 2008, has brought its global romantic fiction and general fiction books to India. It has published Indian authors for its romantic fiction genre and is now expanding its Indian publishing portfolio to publish Indian authors in other genres of fiction.
“The Harlequin-Grand Masti tie-up is the first of its kind partnership, aimed at taking story content across platforms and build upon the synergies of the cinematic and narrative fiction genres and to reach out to more consumers”, says Harlequin India’s country head and publishing directorAmrita Chowdhury.”The book ‘Grand Masti: The Fun Never Ends’ will feature fun, rib-tickling and excitement-filled escapades of the three main characters of the film – Amar, Meet and Prem, played by Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani on screen. The movie franchise has been dubbed as India’s first adult comedy, on the lines of Hollywood blockbusters such as the American Pie series and The Hangover series. The book will be published by Harlequin under its Spice imprint & it has been written by author Neha Puntambekar.”
Priya Doraswamy of Lotus Lane Literary, is the agent instrumental for this first time ever association between Maruti International and Harlequin. Commenting on the tie up Ashok Thakeria says, “We are humbled & privileged that the international publishing house ‘Harlequin’ has chosen Grand Masti to enter the Bollywood arena, by licensing the character rights of a film for the first time, under their ‘Spice‘ imprint. The tie up between Harlequin andGrand Masti is a boon to the series as well as to the readers of the book. On one hand we are going to have an increased audience, fans of the film’s franchise will also be turning pages in the bargain and that I think is important today for people not to let go of reading habits,” says Thakeria.
As part of this tie-up, both teams are announcing the “Grand Masti Fun & Fabulous Author” contest, which is looking for authors to submit a fun original short story, featuring any one or all three of the movie’s main characters. Two winning entrants will receive a special Grand Mastigift hamper and have a chance to get their short story included in the e-book version, to be released globally. The print book will be available across the Indian sub-continent.
Harlequin and Maruti International are inviting aspiring authors to enter the “Grand Masti Fun & Fabulous Author” contest to submit their original story at the following siteswww.grandmastifilm.com, www.facebook.com/GrandMastiFilm between 19 July 2013 and 3 p.m.on 24 July 2013. “The idea of this web contest is to offer the loyal fans of this franchise, movie-goers and book-readers a deeper engagement with the characters of the film,” adds Chowdhury. “The e-book format really explodes the geographic boundaries for a writer, and makes the story available to readers around the world. Primarily for Indian authors and Bollywood-related books, we expect to see huge interest in the diaspora readers in the various global markets where the movie will be released.”
“If the story idea is fabulous and workable, we don’t mind making a film that emanates from the idea,” promises ace director Indra Kumar. So for the audiences it is time to watch movies, read books and write stories. That’s surely a lot of Grand Masti!
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
