MAM
Rajesh Khanna makes his TVC debut in Havells’ new campaign
MUMBAI: Bollywood yesteryears superstar Rajesh Khanna is making his debut television commercial. Electrical and power distribution equipment manufacturer Havells India Limited unveiled its new ad campaign, ‘Havells Fans are Forever‘, featuring Khanna in the TVC.
Havells is known to portray unique concepts through its out of the box advertising with campaigns like ‘Shock Laga‘ and ‘Wires that don‘t catch fire‘. The latest campaign named ‘Fans are Forever‘ is another extension of this strategy. The TVC has been shot by R Balki.
The commercial makes use of the fact that Khanna attracted
unprecedented mass hysteria and a frenzied fan following in his heydays. It showcases him going down memory lane, remembering how his fans used to follow him everywhere when he was a superstar. However there is a twist at the end of the TVC which goes on to reveal that he certainly does have a lot of fans, but those are Havells fans!
Havells (India) joint managing director Anil Gupta said, “It is a constant endeavour to come out with clutter breaking ad campaigns and create the desired impact so as to reach out to audience at large. As far as Rajesh Khanna is concerned, he was undoubtedly the best fit for our campaign – Fans are Forever. Even after 30 or 40 odd years, people of not only our generation but by the younger generation as well, remember him as one of the biggest stars of his time. He will be revered for ever just like our Havells Fans!”
Balki chairman and chief creative officer Lowe Lintas India said, “This new campaign gave us a great opportunity to capture the essence of the brand with sheer simplicity. When the ad was being conceived, we could think of none other than Rajesh Khanna himself who had the maximum fan following…almost legendary and who still commands a great deal of respect. Needless to say that it was a huge achievement to direct Mr. Khanna in his first ever commercial.”
Khanna added, “To be approached after so many years is indeed a great honour for me and I am delighted to reconnect with my fans once again. Shooting after a gap of so many years has definitely brought back fond memories and I feel that not a lot has changed at all. It‘s good to be back.”
The commercials will be on air during the ongoing IPL and will also be extended to print, internet and in-shop POSM.
Brands
NDTV FY26 loss widens to Rs 323 crore, revenue rises
Q4 loss at Rs 98 crore; FY revenue climbs to Rs 540 crore
MUMBAI: NDTV’s numbers tell a tale where the top line is tuning up but the bottom line is still off-key. New Delhi Television Ltd reported a wider consolidated net loss of Rs 323 crore for FY2025–26, compared to a loss of Rs 218 crore in the previous year, even as revenue showed a steady uptick. Total income for the year rose to Rs 540 crore, up from Rs 472 crore in FY25, driven by higher revenue from operations at Rs 528 crore versus Rs 465 crore a year earlier. However, rising costs across production, marketing and employee expenses weighed heavily on profitability.
For the March quarter, the company posted a net loss of Rs 98.6 crore, compared to Rs 61.9 crore in the same period last year. Quarterly revenue stood at Rs 150.5 crore, up from Rs 128.2 crore year-on-year.
Expenses continued to outpace income. Full-year consolidated expenses surged to Rs 855 crore from Rs 689 crore, led by production costs of Rs 251 crore, employee expenses of Rs 185 crore and marketing spends of Rs 243 crore.
Loss before tax for FY26 came in at Rs 320.7 crore, widening from Rs 217.1 crore in FY25, underscoring persistent margin pressure despite revenue growth.
On the balance sheet front, total assets stood at Rs 704 crore at the end of March 2026, while borrowings both current and non-current remained significant, reflecting ongoing capital and operational requirements.
Cash flow trends offered a mixed picture. While financing activities generated Rs 283.6 crore during the year, operating cash outflows remained substantial at Rs 257.9 crore, highlighting continued strain in core operations.
The performance suggests that while NDTV is managing to grow its revenue base, the cost of keeping the broadcast running and expanding continues to outweigh the gains. In a business where eyeballs are everything, profitability, for now, remains a work in progress.
