Brands
Media personality Pranav Harihar Sharma joins Pippip Media as showrunner & partner
Mumbai: New age content house Pippip Media has announced the onboarding of Cannes Lions winning filmmaker and ad-man Pranav Harihar Sharma as partner and showrunner of the company.
With close to two decades of noticeable work in the advertising industry, Sharma will now lead Pippip’s foray into long format storytelling and branded campaigns. With over two hundred ad films under his belt as director, and having won multiple awards for his short films at several international festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Fest to name a few, Sharma feels this is the right time to get into new-age storytelling.
Speaking on his association with Pippip Media, he says, “The world is fast moving from advertising to media & entertainment and in no time we will see branded content replacing the good old TVC. The change is already here and at Pippip, we want to be at the forefront of this change.”
“I’ve been working closely with Pippip on various projects last year. While working together we realised that we share the same vision and passion for creating cutting edge content. As Showrunner, I may not be writing or directing every content piece hereon but will be responsible for the final creative product,” Sharma added.
Director and chief business officer Joy Bhattacharya said, “We are delighted to announce the inclusion of Pranav as Showrunner and Partner. We believe he will play an instrumental role in building Pippip Media and accelerating the growth further.”
Pippip Media director and chief creative officer Aritra Mukherjee said, “The time is here to toggle between films, TVCs, digital content, branded campaigns, web series and not be limited to any one particular medium. We want to be present where good content can be created and no one better than Pranav to lead this vertical for us.”
Pippip Media’s recent IPL focused campaign for Fantasy Akhada with Harsha Bhogle and Ali Fazal has been well received and their short film ‘The Table’ for Greenply has been officially selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival. They have also produced the 18th season of the iconic show MTV Roadies, filmed in South Africa with actor Sonu Sood.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
