MAM
Saif Ali Khan’s Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord to stream free on Audible
Mumbai: Audible, a leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, today announced that the Hindi Audible Original podcast series Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord is now free for all listeners on its service. The podcast series, which has been available for streaming to Audible’s members since 28 June will now be open to all listeners at no additional cost. The move comes in response to immense fan support that the Hindi Audible Original has garnered on its paid tier.
With every artist adding their own flavour to the series, the exceptional ensemble for the Hindi production of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord includes Saif Ali Khan as Peter Quill, Vrajesh Hirjee as Rocket, Sushant Divgikr as Cora, Anangsha Biswas as The Collector, Maninee De as Emma Frost and Harjeet Walia as Kraven the Hunter. The Hindi adaptation delivers an immersive audio entertainment experience, artistically directed by leading Indian audio producer, Mantra Mugdh.
“We are thrilled with the incredible response that Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord has garnered. It stands as one of our most successful releases to date and is a testament to the potential of audio entertainment in India,” said Audible country manager – India Shailesh Sawlani. “It is the love and support of our customers that has compelled us to make the series accessible to a wider audience through its launch on Audible’s free tier. This success demonstrates a shift in the consumption behaviour of the audiences as they seek screen-free engagement. The intimate and immersive nature of the audio medium offers listeners a break from their screens, empowering users to reimagine the story in their own, unique way. We are confident that the larger audiences will shower as much love on Star-Lord as our members have,” he added.
Sharing his excitement, actor Saif Ali Khan said, “Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord is truly special to me because it’s a series of firsts – my first audio project and my first time playing a Super Hero. With the podcast streaming on Audible’s free tier, I am thrilled that more people will be able to listen to this inspiring story of a fan-favourite character and hope that the listeners will enjoy Star-Lord’s journey as much as I have enjoyed voicing this character.”
Within its first week of launch, Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord became one of Audible’s strongest releases on its paid tier. On the day of its release, the series trended nationally on Twitter for 24 hours with strong advocacy from fans and creators. In the first three days of the launch, the first episode of the podcast on YouTube garnered 250K views.
Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord is set in a shadowy alternate future of the Marvel Universe in which the villains have finally won and heroes are nothing but a bad memory. Peter Quill and Rocket are a little slower, and a lot saltier than they were during the glory days of Guardians of the Galaxy. They quickly discover the Earth isn’t what it used to be either when they crash land 30 years after Doctor Doom takes over a barren, desolate wasteland and all the world’s Super Villains seized control, including outlaw Ghost Riders and the bloodthirsty Kraven the Hunter. Discover secrets, experience thrilling action sequences laced with humor, and delve into complex character dynamics as the story unravels across the immersive soundscape of an audio series.
The series comprises of six seasons in total, each focused on a different Marvel Super Hero. The second season, Hawkeye, will debut in September 2023. The six-season audio epic originally launched as an English-language series in June 2021; this is the first season of the exclusive Hindi-language edition of the story.
The Hindi production of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord will be accessible to all listeners for unlimited listening on Audible.in, starting 31 August.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
