MAM
Movie Partnership PUBG – URI: The Surgical Strike
MUMBAI: Movie promotions broke new ground when URI: The Surgical Strike, produced by RSVP (Ronnie Screwvala Productions) Movies, became the first Indian movie to join hands with PUBG Mobile to launch a surgical strike on Pochinki, one of the largest and most popular towns in the game’s maps. The event, which was conceptualized and deployed by Publicis Entertainment, took place on 6 January 2019 with a large number of PUBG enthusiasts taking part.
Talking about the decision for the tie-up with the game, Pashan Jal, Marketing Head RSVP, said “The movie and the game were a natural fit as both are based on teamwork, precision, survival skills, remote communication, and strategy. What’s more the game has players being airdropped into Pochinki, just like our para commandos who did the surgical strike. With Uri: The Surgical Strike being the first big release of 2019 and PUBG Mobile being one of the top games in the world, we thought this was a match made in entertainment heaven. We feel proud that it is the first Indian film to tie-up with the game.”
Pranay Anthwal, Executive Director, Publicis Entertainment, said, “We have always tried to push the envelope when it comes to movie promotions. So, when RSVP movies gave us the brief for Uri, we knew that a regular installation or a fan-interaction activity won’t cut it. Our challenge was to dial up the surgical strike and the gameplay on PUBG was completely in sync with the action in the movie. And since millions already play the game, we thought of getting Vicky Kaushal, the lead of the movie, to play the game and talk us through the experience of making the movie.”
Speaking about the activity, Saurabh Mankhand, Vice President & Business Lead of the Campaign said, “The brief was clear – dial up the mission and help fans experience a para commando’s journey during the strike. Through our research, we found out that PUBG Mobile was a platform that matched most of our requirements. The gameplay resembled a surgical strike – being airdropped into danger, strategizing survival, teamwork, combat style – and thus was a natural fit. To further amplify the activity, we got Vicky Kaushal to play the game live with the top gamers, and other players who were selected through a contest.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
