News Broadcasting
Creative Eye in expansion mode, to make show for Star
MUMBAI: Mythological soap opera specialist Creative Eye is set to start shooting for a weekly hour-long ‘social drama’, set on a Spanish format show, that will begin airing on Star Plus by September.
The production house, which created the recently launched kids’ comedy show Ruby Duby Hub Dub on Sahara Manoranjan, is also producing two new shows that will commence airing on Doordarshan later this month. Khoj, a suspense thriller has been put in the 10:30 pm slot, while Tumhare Liye, a social series, will air at 9:30 pm. While details of the show scheduled to launch on Star Plus are not available, it is learnt that shooting for the series will commence in 10 days time.
According to chairmman and managing director Dheeraj Kumar, the company is in an expansion mode currently and has elevated CFO Sunil Gupta to the position of COO and is now on the lookout for a new CEO. Roopa Das, who had been brought in to head a newly created creative cell, has quit and a new V-P, programming and two executive producers are likely to be appointed in the next week, says Kumar.
The 3D Plus technology powered kids’ fantasy feature film Abra Ka Dabra, which was earlier scheduled for a June launch, is now being readied for a Diwali launch on 5 November. The company has tied up with Music Today for the music rights of the film, and the music is scheduled for release on 4 September.
Abra Ka Dabra, which will have a simultaneous release in the US, UK, the Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia, along with India, is also to be dubbed in Arabic for the Middle East audiences, as also in Tamil and Telugu for South Indian viewers. Produced on a Rs 90 million budget, corporates Parle and Camlin, which have entered into brand tie up agreements with Creative Eye for in-script placements of their products in the film, are expected to launch a Rs 10 million promo blitz for the movie.
Creative Eye has also acquired a feature film The Hope, directed by Kamal Nathani, and is poised to acquire two more feature films in the next quarter, says Kumar.
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
