iWorld
Love at first sight unseen in Zee5 rom-com Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan
MUMBAI: Who says love needs eyes to see? Sometimes, it only takes a train ride, a song, and a spark to light up a story. That’s the heart of Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, a tender rom-com inspired by Ruskin Bond’s The Eyes Have It, premiering on Zee5 on 5th September.
Produced by Mini Films and directed by Santosh Singh, the film follows Jahaan (Vikrant Massey), a blind musician with a gift for melody, and Saba (Shanaya Kapoor, in her debut), an aspiring actress with fire in her heart. Their chance meeting on a train sets off a connection not bound by sight but built on shared dreams, witty banter, and moments that toe the line between humour and heartache. Adding depth to the journey is Zain Khan Durrani in a supporting role.
The soundtrack, composed by Vishal Mishra and featuring vocals by Jubin Nautiyal, Asees Kaur, and Mishra himself, adds another emotional layer to this story of love beyond appearances. Zee5’s Kaveri Das calls it a “refreshingly unconventional rom-com that speaks to both heart and humour.”
For Massey, playing Jahaan was “an enriching experience that revealed strength in vulnerability,” while Shanaya Kapoor describes her role as “the perfect story to begin my journey with.” Their chemistry promises both light-hearted fun and stirring emotion.
With its playful warmth and soulful undercurrents, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan invites audiences to “dil se dekho” see with the heart. On 5th September, when it streams exclusively on Zee5, viewers might just find themselves falling for a love story that proves sometimes the most powerful connections are the ones you don’t see coming.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
