MAM
Ayushmann Khurrana & Naezy come together with Axe to launch ‘Ab Teri Baari’
MUMBAI: What does it mean to ‘Be a man?’ Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, who has defied stereotypes to become the face of content cinema in India, & Naezy – India’s No 1 rap/hip-hop artist have teamed up with World’s Number 1 Deodorant Axe, India’s leading digital platform Arré and Mindshare, the largest media agency from GroupM to find answers to this question. The music video features the stories of Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri, Dance Superstar Dharmesh Yelande, YouTube Sensation ‘BeYouNick’ and the Made in Heaven actor Shashank Arora.
The collaboration song called ‘Ab Teri Baari’ is a strong call to action for Indian guys to stop worrying about the rules of society and the dreaded ‘Log kya kahenge’ and focus on finding what makes them unique instead. Built around Axe’s brand purpose of inspiring guys to express their individuality and becoming their most attractive selves, the song mirrors the brand’s communication platform of ‘Make Your Own Rules’
A Music Video with A Power Packed Roster of Influencers
Ayushmann Khurrana & Naezy who are performing together for the first time have co-created an incredibly catchy song composed by Clinton Cerejo that brings alive the personal stories of Sunil Chhetri, Dharmesh Yelande, ‘BeYouNick’ and Shashank Arora.
Defying the ‘Stereotypes’
Sunil Chettri exemplifies that ‘It’s Ok for A Guy to Share His Emotions’. We all remember the iconic moment where his heartfelt request to fans to come and support the Indian Football team’s matches lead to an outpouring of love and support across the country.
Youtuber ‘BeYouNick’ stands testament to the fact that in today’s changing world guys can explore their passions, make a career out of it and be successful because they are doing what they love.
Dharmesh Yelande, a man who has redefined dance with his signature dance moves inspires guys to not worry statements like ‘Dance Like A Man’ because there is no such way of dance and encapsulates it perfectly with his dance moves and his line ‘Karun Bharatanatyam ya Karun mai Zumba’
Actor Shashank Arora laughs off the ‘Men Must be Macho’ mantra and charms his way through with his statement “6 pack nahi lekin heart mera tiger,’ an attitude that has helped him in his journey to becoming the man that he is today.
New Age of Branded Collaboration
A truly collaborative effort between Hindustan Unilever’s iconic deodorant brand Axe and leading new age digital platform Arré; Ab Teri Baari is a great example of the intersection between a brand’s ideology and a platform’s creativity in creating impactful branded content. The song will be out across Arre’s social media platforms and partner network.
Talking about the concept, Nippun Aneja, General Manager Deodorants & Men’s Grooming at Hindustan Unilever Limited explained, “Many boys in India still feel an overwhelming pressure to conform to masculine stereotypes. There are many said & unsaid rules on how to ‘Be a Man’ – The way you look, the way you act & interact with your peers; even your career choices & hobbies are being judged through the lens of being ‘masculine enough.’
We want young guys to feel free from the pressures of these ‘rules’, discover what makes them unique and work on it. Axe believes that expressing your individuality is what makes a guy attractive, so go ahead ‘Make Your Own Rules’ and be the best version of yourself.”
Ayushmann Khurrana added, “If you look at my career choices, I have always fought labelling. I have tried, in my own way, to create a path for myself and not walk on the path that I was told to walk on. Yes, it was tougher to create my own identity but today, looking back at my journey, it was necessary and definitely worth it. As soon as I heard the concept of Ab Teri Baari, I immediately wanted to collaborate because it appealed to me strongly. The song reflects how I have lived my life and my own career choices that challenged conformism. The song demolishes stereotypes and calls out for inclusivity that this society so desperately needs.”
Naezy commented on the song “This anthem is something that would resonate with every individual. We have all been stereotyped at one point in time. So, this anthem is dedicated to everyone who is trying to make their life on their own terms.”
Jaideep Singh, Director Arrè commented, “As a platform and a voice that has led gender-based conversations for the youth over the last few years, Arre is stoked to have conceptualized this initiative with Axe. This campaign is a perfect showcase of content and brand seamlessly engaging with the youth in a conversation that is important to them. Arre has developed this unique campaign with spectacular coming together of talent and impeccable creative execution with top of the line production values and a brilliant delivery plan across multiple platforms.”
Commenting on this, Ajay Mehta, Vice President, Content+, Mindshare said, “Axe has always been an iconic youth brand with communication deep rooted in Pop culture. The idea was to use Music & more importantly Hip Hop as a genre which has been recently quite popular among the younger audiences. While Ayushmann & Naezy have given their voice, the music video features some of the top influencers who not only resonate with the brand but are real-life examples. Each of them have a unique story to tell which brings alive the brand’s narrative in a compelling manner. It’s a light-hearted piece of content which is fun, catchy yet inspiring.”
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.
