iWorld
MX Player launches new series ‘Salesman of the Year’
Mumbai: MX Player has emerged as a preferred destination for maximum entertainment, owing to its exceptional content and diverse library of shows across genres and formats. And now, the platform is preparing to enthrall its viewers with the MX Studios original Salesman of the Year.
A slice-of-life mini-series Salesman of the Year produced by MX Studios, follows the life of a 26-year-old Karthik, played by Hussain Dalal, and his Charminar to Chandni Chowk journey as this Hyderabadi salesman relocates to Delhi. Co-powered by Valvoline and ET Money, and in collaboration with TVS Raider, Salesman of the Year will premiere exclusively on MX Player on 21 December.
Salesman of the Year is a five-episode series about a Hyderabad-born and raised 26-year-old Karthik who lands a sales job in Delhi. Karthik attempts to cope with life in a city, a place that is unfamiliar and often intimidating in every way, in order to prove to his parents that a sales job is not insignificant. With hope in his heart and ambition in his veins, he begins to deal with a highly competitive workplace, a jargon-spouting boss, an overly friendly DJ as a roommate, and locals who constantly threaten him, and all he can do is ensure that things don’t go south – literally and metaphorically.
Directed by Ankita Sharma, the series is written by Rajesh Narasimhan and Ashiish V Patil and also features internet sensation Ahsaas Channa in a key role.
Talking about the show, Dalal said, “Salesman of the Year tells a story that is extremely relatable for everyone as we are all trying to belong and be accepted – be it in a new city, a new job, with new friends or our own family. I had a blast playing Karthik Reddy, as his Hyderabadi slang & swag are something viewers have not had a chance to see before. The show is a masaledaar serving of Hyderabadi biryani with Dilli ke parathe – Amma kasam majhaa ayenga!”
Channa further added saying, “This was amongst the most mature and challenging characters I’ve had a chance to play. To portray a cold, aggressive corporate woman who comes with a gripping backstory was amazing. The script and the team made the entire journey and experience much more exciting – hopefully viewers will find both Ira Saxena and the show as exciting as I did!”
MX Player COO, Nikhil Gandhi said, “The vision behind creating MX Studios is to offer bespoke brand solutions to advertisers and marketers across categories, tailored to cater to the pulse of Indian audiences. After the successful launch of our latest quiz based series, ‘Business Baazi’, we are delighted to associate with Valvoline, ET Money and TVS Raider for the upcoming slice of life series, Salesman of the Year. Written by Patil, it is an amalgamation of compelling content and seamless brand integrations. The diverse reach and target segmentation that MX Player offers is unparalleled in the OTT ecosystem and we hope to continue delivering value and impact for our stakeholders.”
Valvoline marketing head Ipshita Chowdhury, further added, “Shifting a job and city both can trigger quite a bumpy ride. MX Studio’s new show Salesman of the Year tells the story of one such Hyderabadi salesman who moves to Delhi – and that’s when he finds a friend and Valvoline Bike Xpert, Rocky who runs one of Delhi’s top bike garages to help him make his life and ride, both smoother. Just like what Valvoline’s Champ 4T Engine Oil does for motorcycles. We found a great fit and a fun story to integrate the brand seamlessly and we are delighted to partner with MX Studios to present a fun new series that the viewers will enjoy.”
ET Money chief operating officer Santosh Navlani added, “MX Player’s new show ‘Salesman of the Year’ depicts how the protagonist, Karthik, faces a challenge when investing his money and how ET Money Genius solves all his concerns and empowers him with investing intelligence. There is a strong correlation between Karthik and ET Money’s target audience, who witness the same challenge while making their investment decisions. With such a perfect narrative and story resonance, we believe our association with MX Player in this show gives us an opportunity to portray the value and power ET Money Genius can bring to an investor’s life, i.e., empowering them with investing intelligence.”
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
