MAM
The verdict is out: Kids love Selfie with Bajrangi
MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya’s Selfie With Bajrangi airing on Hungama TV is on its way to become the next big thing in kids’ animation. Given its consistently high ratings, trade is abuzz with reports of the show being touted as the next big thing.
Selfie with Bajrangi’s success can be attributed to the fact that it has the ability to speak to its target audience in a language and manner that the kids love and appreciate. The protagonist Ankush's life changes when he meets Bajrangi, the 7-year-old avatar of Hanuman, who no one but he can see. The show is modeled on kids’ day to day lives and it beautifully captures the nuances of Indian culture. Bajrangi does not just help his buddy Ankush with his day to day problems, he also inspires millions of kids who watch the show. He is a true friend and an angel figure to the viewers.
After its successful launch on Amazon Prime Video in Oct, 2017, the first half was launched on Hungama TV as a summer holiday attraction early this year. The kids have loved absolutely every aspect of the show
Now the second half has made the show an even bigger hit. It is now rubbing shoulders with the likes of Motu Patlu, another Cosmos-Maya IP. It began airing on Hungama TV 29 Sep, 2018 onwards and has been a category topper ever since. It has managed a 30% increase in average ratings in comparison to the first half!
Speaking on the development, Anish Mehta, CEO, Cosmos-Maya said “Selfie With Bajrangi is the first ever series to have little Hanuman as a buddy. Only Ankush can see Bajrangi. He is invisible to the rest of the world. This is a new idea which has worked. He is not out to save the world, rather he befriends Ankush and helps him with his day to day issues in a mundane setting. Both Bajrangi and Ankush are extremely loved by kids and families across markets.”
The show is currently airing across day-parts on Hungama TV and is available in Hindi – Tamil – Telugu.
Dheeraj Berry, SVP, Development & Current Projects, and creator of Selfie With Bajrangi said “The idea of having the revered figure in a slice of life, buddy comedy has worked wonders with young viewers. As a leading studio, our endeavor has always been to come up with novel ideas to create futuristic trends.”
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.
