iWorld
Imtiaz Ali turns nexGTv’s SPOTLight on India’s talent
MUMBAI: The list of March winners is finally here! nexGTv, India’s largest subscription-driven video entertainment app, has finally disclosed the names of the winners of March edition. At a nascent age of 20, Abhinay Sony bagged the winner slot owing to his chills-inducing short horror movie, 3 AM. Abhinay was previously featured in over 20 short films and has worked as model for 3 brands, appearing on several prestigious ramp shows.
Raghav Diwan’s Valentines emerged as a strong runner-up, narrating a heartfelt tale of romance and longings. Raghav is currently pursuing acting and film making from an acting school in Mumbai and also works as an actor and production manager in Chai Stories. The winners were handpicked by none other than the master story-teller, director and producer, Imtiaz Ali, for the March edition of SPOTLIGHT, a leading talent discovery platform,
nexGTv’s SPOTLight is a stand-alone mobile-centric talent discovery platform extending an incredible opportunity to the emerging generation of passionate, highly talented individuals to showcase their talent via invigorating videos. Amongst the videos posted on their digital platform, one of India’s most sought-after directors, Imtiaz Ali, watches the top 5 most viewed videos and handpicks the winners. The winner is then awarded the grand prize of INR 1 Lakh, while the runner up takes home INR 25000.
Unveiling the names of March winners, nexGTV COO Abhesh Verma said, “We had launched SPOTLight with a view to provide a platform for passionate artists to showcase their talents by creating awe-inspiring videos. SPOTLight further gives users an amazing opportunity to make their talent discovered by our community of over 2 million unique subscribers; and one of the talented director and story-teller, Imtiaz Ali. The ever-increasing number of views garnered by these videos testifies the fact that we, as a nation, respect brimming talent. This is the third successful run of SPOTLight awards and we are hoping to receive furthermore thought-provoking videos from our future participants.”
As a platform, SPOTLight gives its users a chance to upload and monetize the videos. Naturally, it has received an extensive positive response from the users, since India’s young and energetic talent pool is digitally aware and appreciates an unbiased opportunity to showcase talent. From Kottayam in Kerala to Baramulla in Jammu & Kashmir, SPOTLight has received stimulating videos from all over India. Continuing the novel concept, SPOTLight is now gearing up for the next month, with Imtiaz Ali on board as the judge. Hence, don’t waste your time waiting for a big break. Make it happen today by submitting your video on www.nexgtvspotlight.com and receive a golden opportunity to be selected by a Master of the Art, Imtiaz Ali himself!
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.
