MAM
9-year old Akhilesh will be the 1st ‘Toonstar’ to act with Scooby-Doo
MUMBAI: It is a dream come true for nine year-old Akhilesh Ganatra, a resident of the Thane district of Maharashtra. The little boy has won an opportunity to act along with cartoon character Scooby-Doo and Kwality Wall’s mascot Max lion in a specially produced animation film as part of the ‘Bano Toonstar with Scooby-Doo and Max’.
The promo was jointly conceptualised by Hindustan Lever’s (HLL) Kwality Walls ice cream and Cartoon Network’s Off Channel Commerce Group. A total of 12 Toonstars will star in six mini animation series that will be produced by Cartoon Network in June-July and be aired in August-September.
Ganatra was quoted as saying: “I am so happy and excited to be a Toonstar. Since I got to know that I have a chance to be on the Cartoon Network with Scooby-Doo, I have only wanted to win! I love Max ice creams and have been saving all my wrappers.”
“When scratch card said ‘Toonstar’, I ran to tell my mother that I had won! But, she thought I had come asking for another ice cream. Finally, when the storeowner told her that I had really won, she believed me – I am a Toonstar! I am really waiting to go on an adventure with Scooby-Doo and Max and beat up ghosts with them!” Ganatra added. His mother adds that he used to often force her to buy Max ice cream and crazy about Cartoon Network.
The promo, billed as the biggest promotion from Kwality Wall’s in this year, will extend through the summer till 31 May 2003. To participate and win an assured prize, children need to collect three Max wrappers that have the special ‘Bano Toonstar’ logo; rush to the nearest redemption centre (named as the Max jungle); and collect their special scratch card. A release says that the Max number on the card will entitle them to a range of prizes from comics to Max jungle trail board games to cameras to tents and the opportunity to become a Toonstar!
HLL ice cream division executive director JH Mehta was quoted as saying: “It is great to see how passionately kids from across the country have responded to ‘Bano Toonstar with Scooby-Doo and Max’ promotion. We heartily congratulate Akhilesh for becoming the first Toonstar.”
Turner Entertainment Networks Asia regional entertainment advertising sales vice president Soumitra Saha quoted as saying: “This unique lecensing promotion by Cartoon Network with Scooby-Doo in India and we are delighted with the positive response that the promotion has received. The integrated promotion demonstrates the campaign’s effectiveness and is also an excellent example of the marketing solutions that cartoon Network offers through multiple platforms for advertisers.”
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Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
