MAM
SMSs fly thick & fast for MAX ‘Lagaan’ contest
MUMBAI: If the “Lagaan World Cup Eleven” contest held on Republic Day during the screening of Aamir’s Khan cricket-related movie on Sony’s MAX is any indication, SMS messaging is set to escalate during the forthcoming ICC cricket World Cup 2003. This augers well for the telecom majors.
The Lagaan contest had an interesting tag-line: “Watch India vs England on January 26; watch India vs England on February 26!”. The first match is the contest between Bhuvan’s (played by Aamir Khan in the movie) eleven versus the East India company’s British team. The second refers to Saurav Ganguly’s team taking on Nazir Hussain’s Englishmen at Kingsmead, Durban.
The contest urged viewers to SMS the answer to a simple question from their mobile phones (to 3636) or log on to max.setindia.com. The contest promised to take 11 lucky winners to South Africa and enable them to watch the World Cup cricket 2003 league match involving the Indians and the English players.
Consider the following statistics: a total of 68,800 messages were received during the five-hour period (starting 1 pm) when the movie was screened. There were 29,075 correct answers. Compare this with the total of 100,000 messages received for Predikta, the interactive game show during the Champions Trophy 2002. The responses for Predikta were received over a 10-hour duration. The website received a total response of 3,900 entries.
Max officials claim that no other channel’s contest has ever receievd this kind of a response. They add that this response is an indication of things to come for “the bigger and better” version of Predikta that has been designed for the World Cup.
“Predikta, in its newer and bigger version, has bagged several sponsors. Pepsi is the presenting sponsor and Toyota is the main jackpot sponsor. Amongst the eight-10 remaining sponsors are companies such as Timex watches,” adds Sony Entertainment executive vice president, sales and revenue management Rohit Gupta.
Interestingly, the percentage of correct answers was higher than the normal 5-10 per cent. Perhaps, the mega-stakes involved had something to do with the enthusiastic response.
The “Lagaan World Cup Eleven” contest was sponsored by Pepsodent (Hindustan Lever), Ariel (Proctor and Gamble), Livon, LML Freedom, Ford, Himalaya Protein shampoo and Titan watches. Also read
‘Extraaa Innings’ and ‘live’ properties sold out -MAX
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YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
