Special Report
FTV India – time for consolidation
Film fashion, heritage textiles and more designers is what FTV plans to unleash on the Indian viewer this year.
It‘s bided its time well. Fashion TV has, since its launch in India in August 2001, faced the wrath of the government machinery and the moral brigade – angst that overshadowed the channel‘s real purpose of showcasing fashion and lifestyle. With the clouds clearing in the last few months (I&B minister Sushma Swaraj‘s shift to parliamentary affairs may have just been a lucky coincidence), FTV India is now ready to go Indian with a vengeance.
The first step will be to double its existing two hours of India-based programming. Indian programming currently includes more than 100 hours of exclusive India-centric programmes including multi-camera coverage of shows by India‘s top designers; group showings by upcoming designers; Designer Speak in which leading designers talk to Fashion TV about their collections, their inspirations; Model Watch, a ready reckoner on some of India‘s top fashion faces, which are all aired as part of Fashion India at 10 pm.
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But newly appointed programming and creative services head Anita Horam (click here for interview) is clear that while the additional content will be from the region, the format will be kept international. “We prefer short duration clips, heavy on music but less of talk,” she says. FTV also plans to take Indian designer content from the ramp shows to exotic locations, that are aesthetically appealing. European viewers are fashion savvy, but Indians, not always. Heritage fashion and textiles will be a major aspect of FTV programming in the form of capsules in the coming days. Horam says the final aim of FTV India is to cover the entire fashion fraternity, not just the designers, but also other fashion professionals, like photographers, hair and make up stylists etc.
Model Maushmi displaying the look designed by Anshu Arora, Deepika Govind and Pria Kataria Puri for the Indian Airlines ground staff An important aspect of revamped FTV content will be film fashion, which a perceptive Horam has identified as a key influencer of the country‘s fashion and lifestyle scene. All this will emerge gradually on the channel by July, along with a changed look with different graphics and packaging, which will be simple, but sophisticated, says Horam. The on air look is the not the only one that‘s changing. The channel (Paris headquartered, that‘s known internationally for the F brand in music, clothing, accessories) took a plunge into brand extensions with the launch of the first Asian F Bar and Lounge in Bangalore. The success of the bar (designed for fashion sampling, fashion shows, bringing in international DJs and models) has spurred FTV into thinking about launching similar lounges in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai this year and even in lesser metros later, depending on the response. Next month, FTV India will plunge full fledged into promoting the brand among the country‘s elite. With the Cleared for take off contest in association with the national domestic carrier Indian Airlines, FTV India will not only promote three designers who are in the fray for revamping the look of IA ground staff, it will also enhance the image of the channel in the eyes of passengers who will vote for the best look among the 12 designs thrown up by the three designers. A scholarship scheme for aspiring designers in association with the UK based Wigan & Leigh institute and Femina Girl is also on, planned with the up and coming fashion designers in the country. On air too, the channel is sparing no effort to make the Indian presence felt abroad. While FTV business development head Manivel Malone who was in the country recently acknowledged that India ranks among the top three international markets for FTV, along with Russia and China, it took model Tapur Chatterjee to participate in a reality show Model Flat to Paris, and tied up with the Indo Italian Chamber of Commerce for taking model Sheetal Mallar to Milan for a show. The channel rates itself against GRPs and reach, says Horam, and cities like Kolkata and Hyderabad have emerged as major markets for the channel, which is why the channel recently had a nine designer show in Kolkata, which was well received. Distributed by the Modi Entertainment Network, FTV is seen in an estimated 15 million C&S households in India. In a never before strategy, the channel will also launch a press campaign, a high end and focused campaign that will not dilute its niche channel image. The fact that there are no immediate rivals for the channel has helped, though Horam maintains that “our positioning is that of being a fashion insider, and our job is to show as soon as possible whatever is happening on the fashion scene, locally and internationally ? we are not really thinking about competition.” Internationally, more than 500 hours of new programming is aired every year covering over 300 new shows and 600 new clips every season. Programming includes Short Captive Programmes such as Non-Stop Fashion, Style and Parties, 3 mins fashion clips etc, Non-stop fashion programmes such as Brand Clips, International Fashion Weeks, Young Designers, Models etc, and also coverage of Fashion TV events and other special events. |
MUMBAI: Some friendships are made in heaven; others are coded in Mumbai. Hamara Vinayak, the first-ever digital original from Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s Swastik Stories, turns the divine into the delightful, serving up a story that’s equal parts start-up hustle and spiritual hustle.
Some tech start-ups chase unicorns. This one already has a god on board. Hamara Vinayak takes the leap from temple bells to notification pings and it does so with heart, humour and a healthy dose of the divine.
At its core, the show asks a simple but audacious question: what if God wasn’t up there, but right beside you, maybe even debugging your life over a cup of chai?
The show’s tagline, “God isn’t distant… He’s your closest friend” perfectly captures its quirky soul. Across its first two episodes, screened exclusively for media in Mumbai, the series proves that enlightenment can come with a good punchline.
The series follows a group of ambitious young entrepreneurs running a Mumbai-based tech start-up that lets people around the world book exclusive virtual poojas at India’s most revered shrines. But as their app grows, so do their ethical grey zones. Into this chaos walks Vinayak, played with soulful serenity and sly wit by the charming Namit Das, a young man whose calm smile hides something celestial.
He’s got the peaceful look of a saint but the wit of someone who could out-think your favourite stand-up comic. Around him spins a crew of dream-driven youngsters – Luv Vispute, Arnav Bhasin, Vaidehi Nair and Saloni Daini who run a Mumbai-based tech start-up offering devotees across the world the chance to book “exclusive” poojas at India’s most sacred shrines. It’s a business plan that blends belief and broadband – and, as the story unfolds, also tests the moral compass of its ambitious founders.
“The first time I read the script, I found the character very pretty,” Namit joked at the post-screening interaction. “It’s a beautiful thought that God isn’t distant, he’s your closest friend. And playing Vinayak, you feel that calm but also his cleverness. He’s the friend who makes you think.”
The reactions to the series ranged from smiles to sighs of wonder. Viewers were charmed by the show’s sincerity and sparkle, a quality that stems from its creator’s belief that faith can be funny without being frivolous.
Among the cast, Luv Vispute shines brightest, his comic timing adding sparkle to the show’s more reflective beats. But what keeps Hamara Vinayak engaging is the easy rhythm of its writing – one moment touching, the next teasing, always gently reminding us that spirituality doesn’t have to be solemn.
Luv spoke fondly of his long association with Swastik. “Since my first show was with Swastik, this feels like home,” he said. “Every project with them is positive, feel-good, and this one just had such a different vibe. I truly feel blessed.”
Saloni Daini, who brings infectious warmth to her role, added that she signed up the moment she heard the show was about “Bappa.”
“We shot during the Ganpati festival,” she recalled. “The energy on set was incredible festive, faithful, and full of laughter. It’s such a relatable story for our generation: chaos, friendship, love, kindness, and faith all mixed together.”
Vaidehi Nair and Arnav Bhasin complete the ensemble, each representing different shades of ambition and morality in the start-up’s journey. Their camaraderie is easy and believable, a testament to how much the cast connected off-screen as well.
This clever fusion of mythology and modernity plays to India’s two enduring loves, entertainment and faith. Mythology has long been the comfort zone of Indian storytellers, from the televised epics of the 1980s to the glossy remakes that still command prime-time TRPs. For decades, gods have been our most bankable heroes. But Hamara Vinayak tweaks the formula not by preaching, but by laughing with its characters, and sometimes, at their confusion about where divinity ends and data begins.
Creator Siddharth Kumar Tewary, long hailed as Indian television’s myth-maker for shows like Mahabharat, Radha Krishn and Porus, explained the show’s intent with characteristic clarity, “This is our first story where we are talking directly to the audience, not through a platform,” he said. “We wanted to connect young people with our culture to say that God isn’t someone you only worship; He’s your friend, walking beside you, even when you take the wrong path. The story may be simple, but the thought is big.”
That blend of philosophy and playfulness runs through the show. “We had to keep asking ourselves why we’re doing this,” Tewary added. “It’s tricky to make something positive and spiritual for the OTT audience, they’ve changed, they want nuance, not sermons. But when the purpose is clear, everything else aligns.”
For the creator of some of Indian TV’s most lavish spectacles, Hamara Vinayak marks a refreshing tonal shift. Here, Tewary trades celestial kingdoms for co-working spaces and cosmic battles for office banter. Yet his signature remains: an eye for allegory, a love for faith-infused storytelling, and an understanding that belief is most powerful when it feels personal.
Hamara Vinayak, after all, feels less like a sermon and more like a conversation over chai about what success means, what faith costs, and why even the gods might be rooting for a start-up’s Series A round.
As Namit Das reflected during the Q&A, “Life gives us many magical, divine moments we just forget to notice them. Sometimes even through a phone screen, you see something that redirects you. That’s a Vinayak moment.”
The series also mirrors a larger cultural pivot. As audiences migrate from television to OTT, myth-inspired tales are finding new form and flexibility online. The digital screen lets creators like Tewary reinvent the genre, giving ancient ideas a modern interface, without losing the emotional charge that’s made mythology India’s storytelling backbone for decades.
In a country where faith trends faster than any hashtag, Hamara Vinayak feels both familiar and refreshingly new, a comedy that’s blessed with heart, humour and just enough philosophy to keep the binge holy.
For a country where mythology remains the oldest streaming service, Tewary’s move from TV to OTT feels both natural and necessary. Indian storytellers have always turned to gods for drama, guidance and TRPs from Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan to glossy mytho-dramas on prime time. But digital platforms allow creators to remix reverence with realism, and in Hamara Vinayak, faith gets an interface upgrade.
The result is a show that feels like a warm chat with destiny, part comedy, part contemplation. And in an age of cynicism, that’s no small miracle.
As Tewary put it, smiling at his cast, “The message had to be positive. We just wanted to remind people that even in chaos, God hasn’t unfriended you.”
With 5 episodes planned, Hamara Vinayak promises to keep walking that fine line between laughter and light. It’s mythology with memes, devotion with dialogue, and a digital-age reminder that even the cloud has a silver lining or perhaps, a divine one.
If the first two episodes are any sign, the show doesn’t just bridge heaven and earth, it gives both a Wi-Fi connection.
