MAM
Nihar Kesh Utsav: A tribute to Maa Durga by Marico’s Nihar Naturals
Mumbai: With a multi-touchpoint brand initiative “Nihar Kesh Utsav”, Marico’s Nihar Naturals embarked on a heartfelt journey to honour Maa Durga this Pujo. The initiative that spanned across two weeks had an array of extraordinary digital and on-ground experiences to build a deeper connect with the brand’s audience.
The Nihar Kesh Utsav commenced with an advertisement on ZEE Bangla, featuring the well-known Bengali television actress, Divyani Mondal communicating the message that all hair types are beautiful as long as they are healthy. Through the ad film and her social media pages, Divyani invited viewers to enter a contest by submitting photos of their beautiful hair with Nihar Naturals via WhatsApp. Over the course of 15 days, the contest received 2000 entries and overall, the campaign achieved a whopping reach of close to 1.6Mn. Some of the best entries were featured in a Nihar Naturals Ad amplifying the campaign message “All hair is beautiful”. This ad will be aired exclusively on Zee Bangla for four days starting 5 December.
Furthermore, in a heartfelt gesture to honour the rich culture of West Bengal and strengthen the bond with their consumers, Nihar Naturals crafted a magnificent 10-foot-tall Durga Maa idol, crafted entirely from approximately 300 coconuts, one of the core ingredients in Nihar Naturals Hair Oil. The idol was inaugurated by Actress Divyani Mondal at the Maddox Square Pandal on 18 October. The brand also set up a hairdo booth spearheaded by the most sought-after celebrity hairstylist in Tollywood, Jolly Chanda. Visitors were treated to a complimentary hairdo session by skilled experts from Jolly’s team.
To generate excitement about the contest and attract visitors to witness the innovative Durga Maa idol, Nihar Naturals strategically positioned branded kiosks at 50 Resident Welfare Associations across Kolkata on the 14 and 15 of October. These kiosks engaged the residents with various games and activities. In addition, renowned Bengali actress Shweta Bhattacharya also visited the kiosks and interacted with the residents further intensifying the event’s anticipation and buzz.
Marico Ltd chief marketing officer Somasree Bose Awasthi said, “The Nihar Naturals Kesh Utsav activation this Pujo marked a significant milestone for the brand, as we built a deeper connect with our consumers across touchpoints with a culturally immersive experience. Undoubtedly, the highlight was the awe-inspiring 10-foot Durga Pujo idol made from approx. 300 coconuts, an ingredient that consumers identify with when they think of Nihar Naturals. Our primary objective with this activation was to express our gratitude to our cherished Nihar consumers in West Bengal for their unwavering trust and support of Nihar Naturals over the years.”
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.
