Brands
HIT wants you to kill mosquitoes on World Malaria Day
MUMBAI: HIT is a well-known household insecticide brand in India.
This World Malaria Day, Kala HIT has come up with a quirky stand-up comedy video, featuring India’s well-known comedy artist Suresh Menon, on various ways through which people kill time on social media. The video is titled ‘Social Media Pe Machchar Marne Waale’.
In today’s world, social media is no longer an escape but an integrated part of life. And people are aimlessly killing a lot of time here. In the video, Suresh Menon narrates the various ways in which people kill time on social media. The video opens with an anecdote from Menon’s vacations to his village where he used to find his uncles sitting on chairs and only passing time. He then narrates how people kill time today – with the consumption of social media. Through this stand-up comedy act, Menon sets a friendly reminder for people to find time from their busy social media lives to kill real mosquitoes with Kala HIT and fight malaria.
The quirky and creative video marks ‘World Malaria Day’ and is in sync with the current years’ theme of ‘Ready to Beat Malaria’. ‘Social Media pe machhar maaron lekin ghar ke andar asli machhar ko bhi maaro’ – This is a one-line message to the social media lovers of India.
Godrej Consumer Products business head India and SAARC Sunil Kataria says, “Godrej Consumer Products has always strived to make the lives of consumers brighter and better. Carrying this philosophy forward, on the occasion of World Malaria Day, we aim to create awareness on prevention against Malaria. Today consumers use various solutions to drive away mosquitoes, these make consumers feel that their problem is completely solved but in reality mosquitoes hide in remote and difficult corners of our home posing a serious threat to health and wellbeing.”
Ogilvy Mumbai group creative director George Kovoor mentions, “We all know someone who is obsessed with social media- the compulsive selfie taker, the ranter, the social rebel, the show-off. They are people who live their lives on social media. We leveraged these characters and their peculiar traits to deliver an important message- ‘Social Media mein machhar mat maaro, ghar mein chipe asli machhar maaro.’ A piece of content that informs and entertains in equal measure, delivered in the inimitable style of comedian Suresh Menon.”
The film’s bottom-line message is how the nuisance caused by hidden mosquitoes brings everyday life to a grinding halt. Current measures to eliminate hidden mosquitoes, are arduous, and often fail. No wonder, consumers fall prey to diseases such as Malaria. Kala HIT is an exceptionally convenient way of killing even the hidden mosquitoes.
Brands
Devyani International Ltd plans three-subsidiary merger to streamline operations
QSR operator moves to streamline structure and unlock operational synergies
Devyani International is tightening its corporate kitchen. The quick-service restaurant operator has approved a scheme to merge three subsidiaries—Sky Gate Hospitality, Blackvelvet Hospitality and Say Chefs Eatery—into the parent company in a bid to simplify its structure and sharpen operational efficiency.
The decision was cleared at a board meeting on March 10 and disclosed in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges. The merger will take effect from April 1, 2025, subject to statutory approvals.
All three transferor companies are direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, meaning no fresh shares will be issued and the shareholding pattern of Devyani International will remain unchanged once the scheme is completed.
The subsidiaries together operate more than 100 outlets—including dine-in restaurants and cloud kitchens, spread across over 40 cities such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
Devyani International, the largest franchisee of Yum Brands in India, said the consolidation is aimed at generating operational synergies, optimising resource utilisation and reducing layers within the corporate structure.
Financially, the move brings together businesses of varying scale. As of March 31, 2025, Devyani International reported a net worth of Rs 10,381.02 million and turnover of Rs 33,493.33 million. Sky Gate Hospitality posted a net worth of Rs 761.14 million with turnover of Rs 2,657.57 million, while Blackvelvet Hospitality and Say Chefs Eatery reported smaller operations and negative net worth.
The merger will consolidate these operations under a single corporate umbrella as the company sharpens its focus on scale and efficiency.
Devyani International currently runs more than 2,000 outlets across over 280 cities in India, Nigeria, Nepal and Thailand. Its portfolio includes franchise rights for brands such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Costa Coffee, Tea Live, New York Fries and Sanook Kitchen, alongside its own food brands.
With the paperwork underway and approvals pending, Devyani is essentially clearing the corporate clutter—turning three subsidiaries into one tighter, leaner operation. In the QSR world, even the back office needs a spring clean.
