MAM
McDowell’s No.1 Soda Yaari Jam Originals & Guru Randhawa welcomes the new year with a foot tapping track “Yaari”
Bengaluru: While the whole world awaits the New Year 2020, McDowell’s No.1 Soda Yaari Jam Originals brings in the Punjabi sensation – Guru Randhawa and popular music producer Vee to wish their fans A Happy New Yaar by releasing the next originals – ‘Yaari’ – that has crossed over 20 million within 24 hours of release. The past year being an extremely successful one for all the originals launched by the brand with renowned artists like Sunidhi Chauhan, Anupam Roy, Tanishk Bagchi, Darshan Raval and Jonita Gandhi. This new track gets the yaars to come together to welcome the new year with a fresh start and a new self!
The original has been written and composed by Guru Randhawa while Vee gave music to it. With this foot tapping track Guru brings alive the emotion of celebrating a new you and with that a new yaar who has overcome the failures, heartbreaks and unfulfilled dreams of the previous year. The music video directed by Gifty has been produced by McDowell’s No. 1 Soda in collaboration with Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.
McDowell’s No.1 Soda, has always been an enabler of strong bonds of friendship with fascinating stories of yaari that are brought alive through music. Aiming to bring new outlook and a lot of hope this new year, the track encourages the yaars to get together and celebrate new beginnings and wish each other a “Happy New Yaar”!
Talking about the launch of the original, Guru Randhawa said, “I have been fortunate enough to have had the chance to celebrate new beginnings every year with my yaars. They are the ones who ensured that we overcome our shortcomings from the previous year and filled each other’s lives with hope and faith. Such bonds have always helped me achieve greater heights in life. It was a lovely experience to create a new year song and I hope that inspires people to be a better yaar and enjoy the yaari to the fullest.”
“Yaars in my life have played a very important role to make me who I am today. They have always supported me and encouraged me to explore for more improvement than ever before to achieve greater success. I was thrilled when McDowell’s No.1 Soda Yaari Jam presented me this opportunity to produce music dedicated to yaari. I hope this new year with the song that Guru and I have created people strengthen their bonds further”, added music producer Vee.
Amarpreet Singh Anand, VP Marketing and Portfolio Head, Diageo India, said, “Change is the only constant in this world and at McDowell’s No.1 Soda we believe that it is within us to revive ourselves to be a better yaar and nurture yaari. The success of our previous tracks with renowned artists for No.1 Yaari Jam Originals only motivates us to create more such engaging originals. Guru Randhawa is an incredible talent, very popular among the millennials and a perfect choice to voice the message through this new song.”
“Music plays an integral part in our culture and No celebration is complete without it. We are glad to work with McDowell's No.1 Soda and Hungama on this special song. We are certain that Guru Randhawa and Vee's music will connect with the audiences across the world”, said T-series President Neeraj Kalyan.
Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media said, “Our partnership with McDowell’s No. 1 Soda has allowed us to create original content that marries music with a meaningful and relatable messaging to drive consumer engagement. We are glad to have Guru Randhawa and Vee on board for a song that speaks about the importance of friendships and new beginnings. Over the years, we have created a vast repository of unique music-driven original content that has allowed us to offer a differentiated experience to our users. We are certain that this song and music video as well, will certainly strike a chord with everyone.”
Brands
Maharashtra panel orders Lodha to refund Rs 5 crore to homebuyers
Consumer court flags unfair practices in long-running property dispute case
MUMBAI: In a sharp rebuke to one of India’s biggest real estate players, the Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Macrotech Developers to refund nearly Rs 5 crore to a senior citizen couple, Uttam and Anindita Chatterjee. The ruling, delivered on March 13, 2026, calls out the developer for “deficiency in service” and “unfair trade practices”, bringing closure to a dispute that has stretched over a decade.
The case traces back to 2015, when the couple booked a 3-BHK flat at World Towers in Lower Parel for Rs 12.22 crore, with possession promised within a year. What followed was a series of changes that complicated matters. After deciding to exit the project, they were persuaded to shift to a 4-BHK in another development priced at Rs 8 crore, with delivery scheduled for 2018. However, within months, the price was allegedly increased to Rs 10 crore. After demonetisation reshaped the market, similar flats were reportedly being offered at lower prices, but the couple were not given the benefit.
Despite paying over Rs 2.83 crore, the couple neither received possession nor clarity. Instead, in 2018, the developer unilaterally cancelled the booking, retained part of the amount as earnest money, and argued that the buyers were investors rather than consumers. The commission rejected this claim, observing that casual references to “investment” do not take away consumer rights when the purchase intent is residential.
The bench also held that the developer could not penalise buyers for payment delays while failing to meet its own delivery commitments. It noted the lack of formal documentation for revised terms and termed the prolonged retention of funds without delivering a home as exploitative.
As part of its order, the commission directed the developer to refund Rs 2.83 crore paid by the couple, along with interest at 10 per cent per annum, amounting to around Rs 2.12 crore. In addition, Rs 1 lakh has been awarded for mental agony and Rs 50,000 towards litigation costs, taking the total payout to over Rs 5 crore. The developer has been asked to comply within two months.
For now, the ruling serves as a reminder that in real estate, shifting terms and delayed promises can carry a significant cost.
