MAM
Ashish Mahendru hangs up boots as Sarup Industries CFO
MUMBAI: In what can only be described as the corporate equivalent of dropping a bombshell and swiftly leaving the room, Ashish Mahendru waved goodbye to his role as chief financial officer at Sarup Industries Ltd. on 20 March 2025. Just when you thought the balance sheets couldn’t get any drier, Mahendru’s surprise exit has shaken things up like a martini—stirred, not shaken.
In a terse statement, Sarup Industries confirmed the resignation, stating, “Take note of the resignation given by Ashish Mahendru from the post of Chief Financial Officer And KMP of the company w.e.f 20.03.2025.” Straight to the point, eh?
Mahendru, a chartered accountant by profession, cited personal reasons for his immediate departure, requesting the board to promptly submit necessary paperwork to the registrar of companies, Punjab & Chandigarh. One might wonder if corporate bureaucracy was finally too much for our number-crunching protagonist to handle. Who knew financial statements could inspire such drama?
In his resignation letter, Mahendru graciously reflected on his stint, saying, “I have been fortunate to employ in M/s Sarup Industries limited. I have learnt a lot during my tenure in your organisation and I take this opportunity to thank the board of directors for their support and guidance during my tenure.”
The board meeting to address Mahendru’s resignation lasted just 20 minutes, perhaps indicating the CFO’s decision left little room for debate or perhaps the directors had lunch reservations they couldn’t cancel. Whatever the case, Sarup Industries is now on the prowl for a new financial wizard to crunch numbers and, hopefully, stay a tad longer.
Was it the spreadsheets? Was it the relentless pursuit of EBITDA targets? Or perhaps Mahendru realised life’s ledger has more thrilling entries yet to be explored. Only time—and possibly a tell-all memoir—will reveal the real reason behind this quick exit.
Digital
AI set to transform media and entertainment industry
From creation to monetisation, AI is rewriting how stories are made and found
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is no longer a backstage tool in media and entertainment. It is fast becoming the main act. Delivering the keynote at the FICCI-EY M&E Industry Report launch, Meta managing director and country head Arun Srinivas, laid out how AI is transforming the entire value chain, from content creation to discovery and monetisation.
At the heart of this shift is access. AI is breaking long-standing barriers of language and reach, allowing content to travel further than ever before. Films, short-form videos and creator-led stories are now being dubbed, subtitled and even lip-synced across multiple languages with ease. The result is a more fluid, borderless entertainment ecosystem where stories find audiences far beyond their original markets.
Discovery, Srinivas noted, is undergoing an equally dramatic shift. On platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, a significant share of content consumption now comes from recommendations rather than followers. AI-driven systems are increasingly acting as matchmakers, connecting viewers with content tailored to their interests. In simple terms, content no longer waits to be found, it finds you.
For advertisers and platforms, this intelligence is translating into sharper targeting and improved efficiency. AI tools can identify the right audiences, optimise campaigns and even assist in crafting narratives for advertisements. What was once manual and intuitive is now data-driven and predictive.
India, Srinivas argued, sits at the centre of this transformation. With millions of creators producing content in dozens of languages, the country is both a testing ground and a growth engine for AI-led innovation. A large and rapidly digitising population, widespread smartphone adoption and expanding 5G access are further accelerating this shift towards a digital-first media economy.
Creators are already tapping into AI tools for editing, translation, dubbing and audience insights, enabling them to refine content in real time. Studios, meanwhile, are using predictive models to gauge consumer sentiment and optimise release strategies. Advertisers are deploying AI across campaigns, while developers continue to build new layers of tools and services on top of these platforms.
Srinivas also pointed to emerging interfaces that could redefine how content is consumed. From AI-powered assistants embedded in everyday apps to wearable devices offering immersive, on-the-go entertainment and real-time translation, the next wave of innovation is set to be more interactive and deeply personalised.
The broader message was clear. AI is not just enhancing the media business, it is restructuring it. As creators evolve into full-fledged studios and content becomes inherently multilingual, the lines between production, distribution and consumption are blurring.
With its scale, diversity and digital momentum, India is uniquely positioned to lead this shift. If storytelling has always been the country’s strength, Srinivas suggested, AI could well be the force that amplifies it to a global stage.
