MAM
Mudra adds McDowell’s whiskey to its kitty
MUMBAI: Mudra, has just added McDowell’s No.1 whiskey to its portfolio of brands. The creative business for McDowell’s will be handled from Bangalore.
Commenting on the win, Mudra South head and EVP
S Radhakrishnan says, ” We have been working with McDowell for the past nine years on the various brands. That has allowed us to showcase our creative abilities and strategic intent. McDowell has been happy with the kind of work we have done for them and suggestions on No.1 have resonated. The shift is, to our mind, a reward for the good work.”
Mudra Bangalore head Saurabh Saksena says, ” We will be handling No. ! on an All India Level. Given he fact that it is the largest whiskey brand in the country, quite obviously, it will be supported adequately across markets of interest. We firmly believe that as one of the strongest creative forces in the South, we will be able to do a lot on the brand. With this win, we will handle No. 1, Derby Special Whisky and developmental brands.”
McDowell No ! whiskey is a flagship brand of the UB Spirits division launched in the early 70’s, the brand is today the market leader, selling not just in India, but also in Canada, Dubai, Japan, etc. It is also the world’s fastest growing whisky brand and features among the ‘millionaire brands’ brands that sell over 1 million cases).
The Mudra South portfolio also includes brands such as Prestige, Henkel, Peter England, Paragon, TI Cycles, Epson Printer, Cycle Agarbatti, RmKV and Deccan Herald, Satyam, Malyalam Manorama among others.
Brands
Devika Prabhu returns to Spni as business head for Hindi movies
Former Disney executive comes full circle to lead Sony’s Hindi movie channels
MUMBAI: Devika Prabhu has come full circle in her media career. She has been appointed business head for Hindi movies at Sony Pictures Networks India, returning to a network where she once worked earlier in her journey.
Prabhu announced the move while reflecting on how careers often loop back to familiar places. She joins Sony Pictures Networks India after nearly 18 years at The Walt Disney Company, where she held several senior leadership roles across content, marketing and business strategy.
Most recently, she served as vice president and business head for kids, youth and infotainment television at Disney India. In that role, she oversaw brands such as Disney and National Geographic, managing a Rs 400 crore business while steering content strategy, partnerships and digital expansion. Her work involved leading teams across programming, acquisitions, marketing and localisation while collaborating with global stakeholders.
Before that, she headed content, marketing and product for the kids and youth television portfolio, overseeing strategy across 10 channels spanning Disney Kids, UTV Youth and UTV Hindi Movies.
Earlier in her career, Prabhu spent nearly eight years at Sony Pictures Networks India, then known as Multi Screen Media, where she worked as assistant vice president for strategic planning and research.
Her return to Sony, she said, carries a sense of familiarity and renewed purpose.
“Every story has its turning points, and sometimes journeys come full circle,” she said while announcing the move, describing the role as both a fresh start and a homecoming.
Over the past two decades, Prabhu has worked across multiple facets of the media ecosystem, from brand building and strategy to programming and franchise development. She believes movies remain one of the most powerful storytelling formats, capable of shaping culture and sparking conversations long after the credits roll.
At Sony Pictures Networks India, she will lead the Hindi movies business and work with the network’s teams to expand the reach and impact of its film channels as audiences increasingly discover cinema across multiple platforms.
For Prabhu, the move marks the start of what she calls “the next act”, one focused on bringing the magic of Hindi cinema to viewers across the country.
