iWorld
VOOT Original presents “Signature Shorts” produced by Tipping Point to unravel 12 Short Films with 12 Twisted Endings
MUMBAI: Have you sent a risky text to a wrong number and gotten a positive answer? Ever found money in your jeans pocket? Bit into a chocolate to discover a spiked center?
Remember how it felt to experience all those twists in your life? Get ready for some edge of the seat and twisted entertainment with VOOT Original “Signature Shorts” produced by Tipping Point (a Viacom18 Motion Pictures Production) – A series of 12 Short films with 12 twisted endings. The unconventional films will take you through a roller coaster of emotions, intrigue and drama. The first 5 films will see riveting stories Derma, Joyride, Bauma, Chacha and Cheetah’s trip and Ishq Ki Google providing a mesmerizing taste of forbidden fear, deviant desires, wicked love , tangled truth, corrupted innocence and so much more unravel on VOOT on 8th February, 2019.
· DERMA – The story of a man whose life turns upside down after he gets a tattoo made by a mystical man in the mountains. The intriguing saga is a unique take on the circle of Karma.
· JOYRIDE – A road trip that takes Raunak amid the wilderness on an unusual road trip, ignoring the perils of a menacing folktale as challenged by his friend. What follows is an extraordinary tale of the unforeseen.
· BOUMA (Bengali) – Set in the heart of Kolkatta, Bouma is the story of a middle-aged couple in the 1960s, living their mundane lives. A nagging husband is diagnosed with cancer and the wife agrees to donate his organs to his scientist friend after he dies. What she does with her husband’s still-conscious head after death culminates to a climax, which is both funny and dark.
· Chacha and Cheetah’s trip will take the protagonists on an adventure of a lifetime. It is a story of two marijuana enthusiasts who after smoking the mythical and legendary windmill joint take an unusual trip.
· Ishq Ki Googly – A story of a husband who plans to murder the illicit lover of his wife, but things go bizarrely out of plan, thereby compelling him to play this game of love.
VOOT Originals “Signature Shorts” produced by Tipping Point( A Viacom18 Motion Pictures Production) promises to present some engaging, intense, edgy and captivating shorts. Catch the first look & trailer of the first tranche of movies under VOOT Originals, ‘Signature Shorts’
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
