MAM
Apocalypso Filmworks wins Abbies for Aajtak ad film
NEW DELHI: Aaj Tak has bagged the silver trophy for the best media campaign of the year at the ABBY Awards 2003. Akhil Mishra bagged the best actor award for Aaj Tak campaign and Pradeep Sarkar of Apocalypso Filmworks won the best director awards for the Aaj Tak TVC campaign.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, veteran ad film maker Pradeep Sarkar says: “The Aajtak team gave us an exhaustive brief and total freedom and liberty to think of the concept. They wanted us to be contemporary but refrain from being newsy. The themes we developed was about the issues facing today’s society.”
Commenting on the channel’s latest achievement, Aajtak CEO G Krishnan was quoted in a press release as saying: “This is yet again an example of the creativity and uniqueness in presentation that we maintain. We are thankful to our viewers, advertisers and other associates who have supported us all along in our endeavours to make Aaj Tak the best news channel in the Indian sub-continent.”
The communication objective of the TVC campaign was to showcase Aaj Tak’s position as an eye-opener and opinion creator through relevant and credible news. The concept of the advertisement had to appeal to the viewers, and since humour has universal appeal, Aaj Tak looked at situations where it could bring out this serious facet of the brand with an underlying sense of humour.
Perhaps, this was the reason why the O&M creative whizkids gave a standing ovation to the film maker Sarkar when he walked up to the stage to receive the award.
Talking about the ad concept, Krishnan further added: “The challenge was to highlight Aaj Tak’s uniqueness of providing credible news at the earliest. The idea of using a black and white, humorous and old style juxtaposed with contemporary themes was to emphasize the changes that it makes in our lives. The ABBY award is a sure sign of the appreciation and success that the ads have achieved.”
“If we had used normal colour, it would have looked like any normal documentary. By using black-n-white background, we managed to raise the curiosity of viewers!” says Sarkar.
ABBY awards are considered to be the most prestigious awards in the advertising industry and around 2400 entries were vying for 17 awards in various categories.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
