Brands
Deconstruct honours neighbourhood barbers in ‘Bring Back Barber shops’
BENGALURU: Deconstruct Skincare has rolled out a new brand campaign, Bring Back Barber shops, paying tribute to neighbourhood barber shops: longstanding spaces that have shaped grooming rituals, trust and everyday human connection for generations of Indian men. The digitally amplified campaign showcases local barbers as the original grooming influencers, long before algorithms and social media took over.
The campaign features three real barbers from south India, speaking in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. Through their own voices, they reflect on decades spent behind the chair, the customers who became family, and the quiet continuity of routines built in the 1980s and 1990s: same shop, same barber, same unspoken understanding. The films capture barbershops as cultural fixtures: places where conversations flow freely and care is personal rather than transactional.
Set against the backdrop of shrinking neighbourhood businesses, the campaign acknowledges the pressures faced by local barbershops over the past decade, many of which have shut down. It closes with a gentle call to action, urging viewers to return to and support their neighbourhood barber. Deconstruct’s oil-free moisturiser appears subtly at the end, positioned as a modern replacement for the familiar sting of traditional aftershave, fitting seamlessly into an existing ritual rather than disrupting it.
Deconstruct founder and chief executive officer Malini Adapureddy, said the idea was to honour, not overhaul, men’s grooming traditions. She added that the campaign recognises the barbershop as a place of care and trust, with products designed to integrate naturally into rituals men already believe in.
Brands
Saugata Mukherjee exits SonyLIV after steering standout content run
Streaming chief signs off after a prolific phase of originals and awards
MUMBAI: SonyLIV is set for a leadership transition, with its executive vice president and head of content Saugata Mukherjee announcing his departure after a three-and-a-half-year stint that helped shape the platform’s creative identity.
In a reflective note shared publicly, SonyLIV executive vice president and head of content saugata mukherjee described his tenure as more than just building a slate of shows, calling it “a shared belief in stories, in risks, in pushing ourselves a little further every single day”. He pointed to a wide-ranging line-up including The Hunt, Mayasabha, Kankhajura, Black White and Gray, Four and Half Gang, Kuttram Purindhavan, Real Kashmir Football Club, Maharani S4 and Freedom at Midnight S2 as a fitting close to his journey with the platform.
Mukherjee credited the team’s resilience through “crazy deadlines, uncertain moments and audacious choices”, adding that what stood out most were the quieter wins and collective spirit behind the scenes. “Some goodbyes are harder than others. This is one of them,” he noted, signalling an emotional sign-off.
During his tenure, Mukherjee oversaw content strategy, commissioning and original programming across languages and genres, helping SonyLIV cement its position in India’s increasingly competitive streaming landscape. The platform’s catalogue under his watch included critically acclaimed titles such as Scam 1992, Maharani, Rocket Boys, Tabbar, Gullak and Freedom at Midnight, collectively earning over 100 industry awards and several international nominations.
Before rejoining SonyLIV in 2022 as EVP, Mukherjee had a brief stint at HBO Max under Warner Bros. Discovery, where he led India content strategy and worked on the platform’s global rollout. Earlier, he held senior creative roles at Disney+ Hotstar and Star TV Network, shaping original programming during the early days of India’s OTT boom.
His career began in publishing, with leadership roles at Pan Macmillan and HarperCollins Publishers, where he worked closely with some of India’s most prominent literary voices.
Mukherjee’s exit marks the end of a defining chapter for SonyLIV’s content journey. As the platform looks ahead, it does so on the back of a creative foundation that has consistently punched above its weight in a crowded streaming arena.
