MAM
DSP’s ‘Salute’ gives financial heroes their cinematic due
MUMBAI: They aren’t in the limelight, don’t post returns on Linkedin, and won’t show up in trending reels. But they’re the quiet anchors behind financial futures. DSP Mutual Fund’s new short film, Salute, puts the unsung Mutual Fund Distributor (MFD) at the centre of a stirring tribute turning spreadsheets into stories.
Released in collaboration with long-time creative partner Bandstand Collective and scripted by their in-house agency Tune, the film trades numbers for nuance, emotion, and everyday financial realities. Known for their emotionally intelligent storytelling from the viral “Dancing Uncle is Back” to the subtle strength of “Stranger on the Bench” Bandstand once again proves that finance can be both heartfelt and human.
Salute follows the lives of MFDs who do more than recommend SIPs. They counsel during market crashes, cheer quiet wins, and ensure dreams from education to retirement stay on track. It’s a nod to the deep trust between an investor and advisor in a world obsessed with DIY and meme-stock bravado.
“Mutual fund distributors are the real enablers of long-term prosperity. They don’t make noise, but they make a difference,” said DSP Mutual Fund senior VP & head of marketing Abhik Sanyal. “With Salute, we wanted to move beyond metrics and celebrate those who guide people through life’s most crucial money decisions.”
Backed by DSP’s consistent push to humanise financial communication, Salute marks another step away from the chart-and-graph trope. Instead, it finds power in everyday gestures reminding us that the biggest financial wins often start with quiet conversations.
Bandstand Collective co-founder and CCO Tuhin added, “Our brief was simple, make people feel something. That’s always been the spirit of our work with DSP. With Salute, we wanted to give voice to the MFDs who are often overlooked but vital to millions of Indian families.”
With financial storytelling that moves, not just informs, DSP Mutual Fund and Bandstand continue their winning streak of emotionally resonant content that makes you think maybe even rethink how you feel about finance.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
