MAM
4-agency show at 3As of I awards night
MUMBAI: It was indeed a memorable evening. Memorable for those who won and even for those who attended. The 3As of I awards held in Mumbai’s Taj Land’s End Ballroom on 6 March 2003 had glamour, glitz and guts.
Glamour and glitz in the form of filmmaker Ismail Merchant,Vivek Oberoi and Ashutosh Gowarikar, and of course the numerous CEOs of ad agencies and marketing companies who made it a point to attend the award function.
Guts in the form of the fact that the 3As of I went ahead with the awards despite the fact that O&M, Leo Burnett India, Quadrant Communications, Lowe, Publicis Ambience, Lemon, Euro RSCG India and Contract Advertising chose to abstain. Sponsored by Star India with The Hindustan Times and Dainik Jagran being associate sponsors, the awards function nevertheless had a classy yet pulsating feel to it with advertising professionals opting for formal togs and cheering in sync with the music everytime their peers went up to collect an award.
The maximum cheers went out for McCann-Erickson, Enterprise Nexus and Mudra – agencies which walked away with a clutch of the small triangles. Rediffusion DY&R also pocketed many awards but the cheers were not as loud.
The four agencies cornered more than than three-quarters of the awards, with McCann and Enterprise walking away with all five golds awarded. McCann had the added pleasure of being associated with the Copywriter of the Year and the Advertiser of the Year awards, while Enterprise did itself proud by winning the lone Grand Prix Silver in the International Jury Awards category.
But the standout campaign of the 2002 was the Coca-Cola one which featured actor Aamir Khan in the ‘Thanda matlab…’ series. McCann Erikson and its national director Prasoon Joshi got a bagful of trophies for their efforts.
Among the 13 jury members for the eighth 3AAAs of I Awards were, Indu Balachandran (JWT), Agnello Dias (Leo Burnett), Prasoon Joshi (MccANN Erickson), Deepa Kakkar (RK Swamy BBDO) and Kaushik Roy (Mudra). Among the six members for brand performance awards jury were Arun Adhikari (HLL), Sam Balsara (Madison Communications), Sarang Panchal (AC Nielsen) and Bharat Patel (P&G).
The international jury that decided on grand Prix winners had Christopher D’ Rozario (JWT, New York), Neil Johnson (DDB Worldwide, Singapore), Milka Pogliani (McCann Erickson, Milan), Piyush Pandey (O&M, India) and Mohammed Khan (Enterprise Nexus, India) among others.
The host for the night was Kaushik Roy.
MAM
Ajio launches Dhurandhar merchandise collection with Jio Studios
Limited edition range inspired by the film starts at Rs 349 on Ajio.
MUMBAI: When cinema meets the wardrobe, fandom doesn’t just stay on the screen, it walks out onto the street. Ajio, India’s fashion e-commerce platform, has launched an exclusive merchandise collection inspired by the spy-action film Dhurandhar, extending the film’s bold on-screen personality into everyday fashion.
The limited-edition range has been created in collaboration with Jio Studios and features graphic driven apparel and statement silhouettes that draw directly from the film’s high-energy aesthetic and characters.
Designed to appeal to both movie fans and style conscious shoppers, the collection translates the cinematic swagger of Dhurandhar into wearable fashion pieces starting at Rs 349.
The collection includes graphic T-shirts featuring iconic movie quotes, signature tees inspired by actor Ranveer Singh and limited-edition signed Pathani outfits that echo the larger-than-life style associated with the film’s characters.
Also part of the line-up is a collection inspired by Sara Arjun, translating her on-screen styling into contemporary silhouettes designed to appeal to younger audiences and fashion forward fans.
With bold typography, statement graphics and confident tailoring, the range blends cinematic storytelling with streetwear aesthetics, turning the film’s cultural energy into a fashion statement.
The collaboration reflects Ajio’s growing strategy of using fashion collaborations to tap into pop culture moments and entertainment properties.
By bringing elements of popular films into apparel, the platform allows audiences to move beyond simply watching a film and instead wear their fandom, making cinema part of everyday style.
Produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, Dhurandhar has emerged as one of the most talked-about action thrillers in recent times, known for its high-octane storytelling and larger-than-life characters.
The film, written and directed by Aditya Dhar, is also set to expand into a franchise, with the sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on March 19, 2026.
By launching the merchandise collection ahead of the sequel, Ajio and the film’s producers are extending the film’s universe into fashion, giving fans another way to connect with the story and its characters.
The Dhurandhar merchandise collection is now available exclusively on Ajio, bringing cinematic attitude, bold graphics and spy-thriller swagger straight into the wardrobes of fans.
