MAM
Mumbai Mirror launches the 2nd leg to the city-wide campaign ‘Operation Khataara’
MUMBAI: Mumbai Mirror, the city’s favorite daily, takes its civic campaign ‘Operation Khataara’ to the next level by launching a multimedia campaign. Since the last 4 months, the city newspaper has been waging a war against these abandoned cars, with a series of investigations on the intensity of the problem of ‘Khataaras’ left on the streets of Mumbai. The newly launched communication talks to the residents of Mumbai to report the location of these Khataaras, so that the menace can be quantified and presented to the civic bodies for suitable action.
The campaign ‘Operation Khataara’ identifies the abandoned vehicles that are left to rot on the streets as the most-wanted abettors of crime in the city, that the residents need to report. In addition to being an eye-sore and a prime reason for traffic congestion in many parts of Mumbai’s busy streets, these dead-cars also foster criminal activities on the road. They are a breeding ground for mosquitoes that spread life-threatening diseases like dengue and malaria. Mumbai Mirror calls attention to this menace and urges the concerned authorities, encouraging them to take corrective actions to tackle the challenge.
Besides a series of articles, investigations and videos, the campaign intends to empower Mumbaikars to create an information network via a WhatsApp number 9372772277, where readers can share details about any abandoned vehicles in their vicinity along with photographs. In a city that grapples with space issues, abandoned cars raise the burden on the city by adding to parking issues. With the participation of citizens and authorities, Mumbai Mirror hopes to create a ‘Khataara’ free city and effectively serve the people of the city. The campaign will be communicated across media platforms including print, radio and digital media via engaging content formats and innovative ad-elements.
Speaking about the civic awareness campaign, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI & Mirror said, “We at Mumbai Mirror consistently strive to dig below the surface and bring those issues to the notice of our readers that have not been addressed by anyone else and yet are important to the society we live in. And #OperationKhataara is an extension of our brand promise that focuses on the betterment of the city and its citizens. We believe in making a difference in the society and through this campaign we hope to encourage authorities in Mumbai as well as other cities to undertake similar initiatives.”
Through years, Mumbai Mirror has launched several impactful campaigns to make the city stronger and better. Campaigns like ‘I Am Mumbai’ brings forth the spirit of Mumbai and properties like ‘Mumbai Heroes’ felicitates the strong men and women who are changing the city for better. The journey to highlight the pressing issue of abandoned cars in the city began with an incident in Kandivali, which sparked into a city-wide movement reaching out to Ghatkopar, Juhu and Bandra leading to the full-fledged campaign – ‘Operation Khataara’ by Mumbai Mirror. Join the campaign and lend a helping hand to create a better Mumbai. Drop a line at operationkhataara@timesgroup.com
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
