MAM
INOX deploys Dolby Multichannel Amplifiers
MUMBAI: Cinema chain INOX Leisure Limited (INOX) today extended its strategic partnership with Dolby, a leader in immersive entertainment experiences to provide the best in class cinema solutions. With Dolby Atmos screens already present at INOX multiplexes across the country, INOX today announced that it will be deploying Dolby’s latest and best in class Dolby Multichannel Amplifiers (DMA). In the process, INOX will be the first Indian cinema chain to acquire the versatile DMA.
The DMA’s are D Class digital amplifiers which have a smaller footprint that can save a lot of rack space and hence real estate, air conditioning and power consumption. Using DMAs in the audio chains escalates audio reproduction without distortion making the experience better than best. These new-generation amplifiers also bring other benefits like ease of connectivity, less cabling, robust design, built-in redundancies for uninterrupted playback, ability to monitor the health of the amplifiers over central NOC, and also the ability to compensate for a failed speaker till replacement, ensuring consistent and high-end experience for patrons what they expect from INOX.
INOX has been extremely aggressive in pioneering cinema technologies into the country in order to enhance the cinema-viewing experience of its patrons. A testimony INOX’s technology focus is INOX Megaplex, the world’s first cinema with six different cinema viewing formats. Located at Inorbit Mall, Mumbai, INOX Megaplex houses IMAX, Samsung Onyx LED, ScreenX, MX4D and INSIGNIA formats. INOX also offers Laser Projection and Dolby Atmos experience to its patrons.
INOX Leisure Ltd CEO Alok Tandon said: “Technology is the cornerstone of our business strategy, and cinema sound plays an extremely critical part in the overall cinema-viewing experience. I am delighted to share that we are further strengthening our association with Dolby with the acquisition of Dolby’s multi-channel amplifier. As we become the first cinema chain in the country to use these versatile amplifiers, we are all set to be more energy-efficient, cost-efficient and space-efficient. We are proud to pioneer one more technology intervention into the country with this deployment.”
Friedrich Deininger, Sr. Director, Cinema Sales, EMEA and India, Dolby Germany GMBH, said that Dolby offers a full range of imaging, content management, and accessibility solutions to give audiences an immersive cinema experience with 700+ Dolby Atmos Screen installed or committed in India and over 700+ Dolby Atmos titles in six Indian languages.
INOX, amongst India’s largest multiplex chains, offers 146 multiplexes and 614 screens in 68 cities.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
