iWorld
Amit Bhandari joins Planet Marathi
KOLKATA: Just a few months ago, Planet Marathi announced the first-ever Marathi OTT platform that will curate exclusive Marathi content across various genres for the global Marathi audience. This announcement caused quite a stir in the Marathi film world. Ever since the big news, quite a few names are getting associated with the brand. The most recent name to join the bandwagon of entertainment changemakers is Amit Bhandari.
Bhandari, who was the assistant vice president at Sony Marathi and also being a popular media personality, who has several accolades in the entertainment industry. He will now start the second inning of his career with Planet Marathi.
Bhandari’s collaboration with Planet Marathi brings great synergy as both the names are renowned for their path-breaking work in the entertainment industry. Akshay Bardapurkar, head and founder, Planet Marathi, created this brand back in 2017 and eventually made his way into film production. Amit Bhandari’s association with Planet Marathi promises that the caliber entertainment will see a peak.
Bhandari will be managing the front of Planet Marathi film production, Planet Marathi OTT, and Planet Marathi Talent. While talking about this new chapter in his career, he says, “Today the audience is sensitive when it comes to the content they consume. Planet Marathi OTT recognizes these nuances and is committed to transforming the way Marathi content gets distributed, broadcasted, and the way users experience it. “म मानाचा, म मराठीचा” is the tagline of Planet Marathi OTT. I would love to contribute to Akshay’s vision and give Marathi content the long-overdue recognition it deserves on a global level. My goal is to enable the creation of meaningful content that moves people and promises value in entertainment." Amit also expressed his inclination towards meeting the pace of the fast-evolving talent-management and film production industry with Planet Marathi’s skilled team.
Bardapurkar expressed his exuberance saying, “We have always believed in the pursuit of excellence. It is only with the right talent and a strong vision, that achieving excellence is possible. Amit has demonstrated his innovation and forward-thinking with Yuva Sakal, Mumbai Times, Star Majha (ABP Majha), and Sony Marathi. The expertise he brings to Planet Marathi along with the decades of experience in Marathi and Hindi entertainment, Amit will only add value to Planet Marathi.”
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.
