MAM
Weekend Unwind with: Chalkboard Entertainment co-founder Shujaat Saudagar
Mumbai: With another weekend upon us, it is time to unwind with the latest Q&A edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind—a series of informal chats that peek into the minds of business executives through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.
In this week’s session, we have Chalkboard Entertainment co-founder Shujaat Saudagar.
Saudagar fell into the rabbit hole in 1999 where he mentored under Prahlad Kakkar, also known as the Godfather of Indian advertising. He moved on from Genesis and directed an award-winning short film, Bali, along with the biggest ad campaigns for Pepsi, Lava Mobiles, KFC and Datsun. He stepped into the world of features with his debut directorial, Rock On 2!
Saudagar helms Rabbit Hole Films and has directed an Amazon Original series called Bambai Meri Jaan, based on a best-selling book by Hussain Zaidi. He recently directed an experimental feature, The Underbug, which won the Grand Jury Award at The Slamdance Film Festival 2023.
So, without further ado, here it goes…
● Your mantra for Life
Live for the moment
● A Book you are currently reading
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
● Your Fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic
Eat when hungry not when bored
● Your comfort food
Mutton biryani
● When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going
“You never know how much time you have left.” Martin Scorsese
● Your guilty pleasure
Bread pudding
● When was the last time you tried something new
2 days ago, Vietnamese Coffee, amazing!
● A Life lesson you learnt the hard way
Trust actions, not words
● What gets you excited about life
Movies
● What’s on top of your bucket list
Playing my film at the Lumiere Theatre
● If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be
Spend less!
● One thing you would most like to change about the world
Increase literacy
● An activity that keeps you motivated / charged during tough times
Riding my bike
● What lifts your spirits when life gets you down
A story told honestly
● Your go-to stress buster
My cats
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
