Brands
Dividend bonanza lifts Bajaj Finserv as profit hits Rs 1,085 crore in Q2
MUMBAI: When dividends rain, Bajaj Finserv shines. The financial services powerhouse reported a robust standalone profit of Rs 1,085.18 crore for the quarter ended September 2025, up 20 per cent from Rs 907.57 crore a year earlier, driven largely by a gush of dividend inflows from group companies.
The second quarter’s total income stood at Rs 1,481.28 crore, a 21 per cent rise over the year-ago figure of Rs 1,227.14 crore. The spike came primarily on the back of dividend income, which soared to Rs 1,405.21 crore, a massive jump from Rs 1,144.14 crore in Q2 FY24 accounting for nearly 95 per cent of the company’s revenue from operations.
Interest income, however, slipped to Rs 54.93 crore from Rs 59.89 crore a year earlier, while rental income and wind power revenue contributed Rs 1.21 crore and Rs 9.88 crore respectively.
Expenses remained in check, rising modestly to Rs 78.05 crore in the quarter compared to Rs 61.39 crore a year ago. Employee costs were the biggest contributor at Rs 54.16 crore, followed by other expenses of Rs 22.54 crore and depreciation of Rs 1.35 crore.
Profit before tax came in at Rs 1,403.23 crore, up 20 per cent from Rs 1,165.75 crore in the same quarter last year. However, a steep tax bill of Rs 318.05 crore (up from Rs 258.18 crore in Q2 FY24) trimmed the bottom line, even as the company benefited from a Rs 40.21 crore tax credit from earlier years.
After tax, Bajaj Finserv’s net profit stood at Rs 1,085.18 crore, while total comprehensive income (including other gains and losses) was Rs 1,084.32 crore. Basic earnings per share came in at Rs 6.8, compared with Rs 5.7 in the corresponding period last year.
For the half year ended September 2025, total income reached Rs 1,935.56 crore, while net profit stood at Rs 1,415.10 crore marginally lower than Rs 1,540.61 crore reported for the same period last year.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose sharply to Rs 10,222.91 crore as of September 2025, compared with Rs 8,611.81 crore a year ago. Financial assets accounted for the bulk of this, led by Rs 6,073.40 crore in investments in subsidiaries and joint ventures and Rs 3,484.13 crore in other investments.
Other equity swelled to Rs 9,835.61 crore, up from Rs 8,142.97 crore in September 2024, underscoring the company’s growing investment base and capital strength.
From a cash flow perspective, Bajaj Finserv continued to maintain healthy liquidity. The company generated Rs 1,723.49 crore from operating activities during the half year, with significant inflows from investment realisations. Cash and cash equivalents stood at Rs 6.34 crore at the end of September, down from Rs 18.04 crore at the end of March, reflecting strategic capital deployment.
While the quarter may not have seen fireworks on the lending or operating front, Bajaj Finserv’s dividend-driven engine kept profits sizzling. The steady stream of returns from its subsidiaries Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Allianz among them remains the secret sauce behind the company’s enviable earnings consistency.
In short, Bajaj Finserv didn’t just cash in on dividends this quarter, it turned them into a masterclass in financial finesse.
Brands
Yes Madam taps Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don nostalgia to power new digital campaign
Home salon platform ropes in Tanya Mittal as it bets on humour and pop culture to showcase trust and convenience
NOIDA: India’s fast-growing home salon platform Yes Madam is leaning on nostalgia and a dose of comic chaos to pitch its services. The brand has launched a new digital campaign starring Rajpal Yadav and influencer Tanya Mittal, reviving Yadav’s much-loved Chota Don character to underline the reliability of at-home beauty services.
The campaign marks Yes Madam’s first collaboration with Rajpal Yadav and revisits the quirky Chota Don persona made famous in the 2007 film Partner. Produced with Footloose Films, the film blends slapstick humour with a nostalgic callback to spotlight the platform’s promise of dependable, quality services delivered at home.
The storyline plays out like a miniature action comedy. Tanya Mittal finds herself surrounded by goons and calls for help, only for Rajpal Yadav to appear in full Chota Don mode, dispatching the attackers in his trademark comic style as Mittal cheers him on. The drama then flips abruptly to a calmer scene, with Mittal relaxing at home while enjoying a Yes Madam service and insisting the heroic episode really happened, even as posters of Chota Don decorate her house. The film ends with Yadav’s voiceover declaring that the incident may or may not have happened, but the trust and quality of Yes Madam’s services certainly have.
The collaboration also follows a broader show of support for Rajpal Yadav within the industry. In the growing wave of backing for the veteran actor, Mayank Arya, co-founder and chief executive of Yes Madam, publicly supported actor-producer Sonu Sood’s call for concrete help from the film industry and corporate brands. Arya took to the social media platform X urging companies to move beyond expressions of sympathy and instead offer tangible opportunities to the actor amid his ongoing legal and financial challenges.
He wrote, “Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the great talent. @Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam! Have already aligned the team on it. #ComeBackStronger.”
Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the the great talent.@Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam !
Have already aligned the team on it.#ComeBackStronger https://t.co/Q7qpJttLTs— Mayank Arya (@iammayankarya) February 11, 2026
Rajpal Yadav recently surrendered at Tihar Jail after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea seeking additional time to repay dues in a long-running cheque-bounce case. The actor had been accused in the case in 2018 after he was unable to repay a loan taken for a film project that failed at the box office. The court later ordered him to surrender after the dues remained unpaid.
The situation triggered a wave of support from several high-profile figures. Sonu Sood emerged as one of the most prominent voices, expressing solidarity and promising Yadav a role in his next film. Sood emphasised that industry support should be about dignity and real job opportunities rather than charity. Celebrities including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Gurmeet Choudhary and Guru Randhawa have also publicly extended financial and professional support.
Before surrendering, Rajpal Yadav shared an emotional statement in which he spoke about feeling alone and unsupported, a remark that struck a chord with many in the industry. However, his brother later clarified that the actor would never have intended to suggest that he lacked support from colleagues or well-wishers.
Reflecting on the campaign, Mayank Arya said the film was designed to entertain while strengthening the brand’s message. “At Yes Madam, we have always believed in creating campaigns that connect with audiences in an engaging and memorable way. I had earlier spoken about the importance of extending meaningful opportunities to Rajpal Yadav, and we are glad to be the first brand to take that step forward with this collaboration. Through this film, we wanted to create a compelling narrative while also reinforcing the trust and reliability that customers associate with Yes Madam’s services,” Arya said.
Akanksha Vishnoi, co-founder, said the campaign leans on nostalgia to strike a chord with digital audiences. “Consumers today engage deeply with content that blends entertainment with relatability. With this campaign, we wanted to revisit a nostalgic moment while subtly reinforcing the convenience and reliability of at-home services. Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don is an iconic character that instantly evokes nostalgia and humour, making it the perfect fit for this campaign. Tanya Mittal’s presence added a vibrant energy and helped us bring the vision of the campaign to life,” Vishnoi said.
Founded in 2016, Yes Madam offers salon and spa services at home through trained professionals using hygienic, single-use product formats. The platform now operates in more than 55 cities across India, pitching convenience, transparency and quality to a growing base of urban consumers.
The new campaign, rolling out across social media and video platforms, makes its pitch with a wink. The Chota Don rescue might be fiction, but the promise of a salon at your doorstep, the brand suggests, is the real deal.
