MAM
Pocket Aces partners with India Film Project for the Dice Creator Network
NEW DELHI: Pocket Aces and India Film Project (IFP) announced that they are further strengthening their long-standing partnership via the Dice Creator Network. Via this partnership, creators who have submitted short films to IFP will get visibility and distribution to over 2.6 million followers across Dice Media’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Via the Dice Creator Network, Pocket Aces works with talented external collaborates to give their content the reach and audience they deserve.
Right from conceptualisation to scripting, production and post-production, each film that is part of the India Film Project Filmmaking Challenge is created within a timeframe of just 50 hours, which is no small feat. With two films being released every week on Wednesdays and Saturdays from IFP’s large content catalogue, Dice Media has hand-picked films that have either an inspirational or a social message, with the thought that these will help the audience get through the COVID-19 lockdown. For example, the first short film ‘Nothing Is Impossible’ tells the story of a young man- Paul who overcomes his speech disorder with a magic medicine that he can vouch for. ‘Make a Difference’ on the other hand, is a narrative of a day in a man’s life who steps out as a lone warrior to save the environment.
Pocket Aces co-founder Aditi Shrivastava said, “We are pleased to partner with India Film Project as one of our Dice Creator Network, via which we want to collaborate and give visibility to creators at scale. IFP is one of the largest platforms for aspiring filmmakers in India, resulting in a rich variety of content. For this partnership, we have specifically selected IFP films that are differentiated from the usual Dice content – we are experimenting across filmmaking styles, genres, and even regional languages – with the goal to keep our audiences entertained and inspired during this lockdown.”
India Film Project festival producer Gaurav Dave said, "At IFP, we have a library of more than 9000 short films that were made as a part of our flagship 50 hours Filmmaking Challenge. We are always on a lookout for better opportunities where our creators and their content can reach the masses through the right distribution channels and our association with Pocket Aces is one such initiative. We are glad to have associated with Pocket Aces where they will be publishing some of our award-winning films on their popular platform along with shoulder content to promote the films. It always feels great to empower creators."
Previously, Pocket Aces’ short-form video channel FilterCopy joined hands with India Film Project for its ambitious project Web Writer’s Lab 1&2 to provide an efficient launchpad to budding writers and assist them to adapt to the changing dynamics of the industry.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
