MAM
Rainshine launches two new shows on Audible Suno, an Amazon Company
MUMABI: Rainshine Entertainment, a leading entertainment company that creates diverse and iconic content for Indian and global audiences, announced a strategic expansion into the digital audio space through podcasts. The company set the wheels in motion with the launch of two new podcasts on Audible Suno – ‘Thriller Factory’ and ‘Be Stupid with Vir Das’, produced by CM Studios and Weirdass Comedy respectively. Rainshine Entertainment intends to release more than 30 podcasts over the next 12 months, offering consumers a diverse bouquet of stories spanning across genres, ranging from thriller to comedy to self-help. This will comprise content from companies present under the Rainshine umbrella, to be distributed in India and across the globe.
Created by Ruchir Joshi and Pravesh Bhardwaj, with Sameer Pitalwalla as the Producer, ‘Thriller Factory’ is an adapted and abridged version of stories from the bestselling Indian pulp fiction writer, Ved Prakash Sharma. Presented by Anurag Kashyap and produced by CM Studios, one of the content production arms of Rainshine Entertainment, this ten-episodic crime series amalgamates the grit and natural style of Kashyap's cinema with Ved's evocative stories. Leading actors including Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Sachin Khedekar lend gravity and texture to the episodes, thereby creating a peculiar soundscape that merges the old and new, the retro and contemporary, the raw and refined.
‘Be Stupid with Vir Das’, a topical comedy produced by Weirdass Comedy, the foremost comedy content studio and consultancy in India, takes on a lighter persona. In this series, Vir Das discusses how stupidity and stupid decisions across history, his personal life, and the lives of others surprisingly changed the world for the better. From a man who accidentally cycled past the India-Pak border to a young boy who flung his whiskey glass at a politician, ‘Be Stupid with Vir Das’ gives a voice to some of the funniest and the most heart-warming stories of instant regret but ultimate redemption.
Commenting on this development, CM Studios content head Ruchir Joshi said, “We’re very passionate about creating content that’s unique and sets us apart. With the growing potential of audio content and the arrival of international audio OTT players in the Indian market, our strategy was clear. ‘Thriller Factory’ is our entry into a prime space with a standout big-scale property that is quintessentially Indian at heart. Over the course of the next year, we plan on introducing many more compelling stories, and we’re very excited about what’s in store.”
“Comedy can often rely on being visually engaging. So, ‘Be Stupid with Vir Das’ was a cool creative puzzle – trying to get the funny from my mouth to your ears with nothing in between! More than anything else, I got to sit down with amazing people. I'm a storyteller at heart, and I can't wait to bring you their hilarious and stupid stories. I’m so glad I was able to explore this new medium with Audible Suno, and I hope my audience listens to me and the rest of the content on the app, from my particular stupid…all the way to the sensible,” said comedian Vir Das.
Rainshine Entertainment Emerging Business SVP Kiran Nithyanand said, “At Rainshine, we’ve always believed in telling the most interesting narratives in a variety of formats and genres. With the audio streaming space growing globally, podcasts are increasingly becoming a force to reckon with. We believe that our foray into podcasts gives us an exciting opportunity to leverage our expertise and work with a growing base of diverse content creators to provide new and exciting stories for audiences worldwide.”
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
