MAM
CMM to take the talent search route too
PUNE: It may not figure in the top recall music channels bracket, but CMM is trying to revamp its image.
The music channel is following in Channel V’s footsteps with the announcement of a national level talent competition. Kal Ke Sitare is a contest that CMM will hold in association with Mahavir Audio & Visuals, a music company.
According to an official release, the one of a kind national level talent competition is aimed at promoting young talent in the field of singing, dancing and dramatics, with Pune being the epicenter of the exercise.
The categories in the competition include singing (pop and classical), dancing (Indian and western), playing various musical instruments, dramatics and modeling, with no age or language bar. The preliminary rounds will be held in Pune at various locations.
Outstanding participants will get an opportunity to showcase their talent in over 20 music albums, both audio and video, besides a chance to feature in films and tele serials. The entire event will be aired on CMM for more than two months including pre and post event promotions, a la Popstars that showcased the making of VIVA on Channel V and sister Star channels.
The pre-promotional publicity of the competition is already being aired on CMM every hour. This raw talent will be promoted by MAV in all its forthcoming ventures. Mahavir Productions (of MAV Group), a Pune based production house is a co-venture between Manoj Palrecha and Ankush Mehta. MAV founder Palrecha claims commitment from Bollywood Directors to promote the talent discovered at the competition. From the wings of MAV have come hits like Zindagi (The Life), a pop music album, Koncept, trance music and many devotional albums, claims the release.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
