MAM
BBLUNT encourages consumers to embrace their hair with #GrowOutChallenge
MUMBAI: The current situation has led consumers to try varied things and hone new skills, courtesy the Internet. One such trend that has been doing the rounds is consumers looking at DIY haircut tips while some of them are also trying to give themselves a cut at home. Witnessing a spike in haircuts going wrong, BBLUNT recently launched a nationwide campaign to help Indians groom their overgrown hair by undertaking the Grow Out Challenge. The initiative encourages consumers to refrain from cutting their hair at home while imparts knowledge on how to use the wide range of styling and care products to keep one’s mane looking neat.
With the Grow Out Challenge, BBLUNT aims to ensure consumers don’t have any hair mishaps at home and also reduce stress that usually comes along with cutting one’s own hair. This crusade is supported by hair maestros and Bollywood’s ace stylists, Adhuna Bhabani and Avan Contractor, who have shared tips on how to maintain the length. Managing overgrown hair especially in humid, hot and harsh weather is no easy feat, which is why the experts will be also teaching users how to successfully take care of their hair using BBLUNT products that are specially curated for Indian hair, weather and water. Growing ones hair out also provides a beautiful canvas for hairstylists to work on, once the lockdown ends and salons re-open safely. The extra length also empowers consumers to try new looks and styles, embracing a refreshing change.
Speaking on the campaign, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd head – innovation and BBLUNT Anirban Banerjee said, “Currently the country is going through unprecedented times and we at BBLUNT are in complete solidarity with our frontline forces who are tirelessly working to keep us safe. This campaign undertaken by the brand is a small effort to inspire consumers at home, helping them get creative with their hair. Owing to salons being shut, patrons look forward to expertise in guiding them on how to manage their hair at home and this is an endeavor of doing exactly that. Adhuna and Avan, together have really helped us effectively solve consumer concerns and provide them with easy at home haircare solutions.”
The campaign which is an extension of Jay Mahmood, a hairdresser in California’s initiative will also give a chance to consumers to interact with the Founders of the brand and get haircare and hair styling tips directly from the maestros.
Dwelling into the insight for this campaign, Schbang founder Harshil Karia stated, "The rise in search volumes around DIY Haircuts was an opportunity – and instead of the most obvious thing to do i.e. teach people how to cut their hair at home, we went against the grain and asked them to grow their hair out! It’s a terribly exciting campaign because the advertising is 'home made', our Salon Stylists are using BBLUNT products and creating homemade haircare routines which consumers can easily emulate and we're doing some exciting stuff on live QnA using Adhuna and Avan – consumers don't often get access to stalwarts such as themselves for their hair care consultations and this I think therefore becomes a great opportunity for consumers as well!"
Top celebrities like Dia Mirza, Mrunal Thakur, Tara Sharma Saluja have joined the challenge along with industry insiders, Nandini Shrikent, Ruchi Narain and Natasha Nischol who are all set to grow out their mane. The influencer community have also hopped on the bandwagon with leading bloggers like Shalini Samuel, Anushka Mulchandani and Shanaya Sardesai, taking over BBLUNT’s Instagram handle to share hair tips. In the initial stage, the campaign has been well received by consumers and the brand hopes to constantly keep innovating to make this a successful movement.
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.
