MAM
‘Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana’ As ZEE Biskope invites viewers for ‘Lagan Utsav’
When it comes to occasions that bring the entire family together, few match up to the grandeur and togetherness of Indian weddings. Over the years, this grand event has been a part of countless Bhojpuri films and has brought families regaling in the festivities of life’s most important relationship. Bhojpuri region observes the month of June especially the second week as the wedding season when there are many auspicious marriage dates. Amidst the current situation, when people are confined to their homes, the region is missing out on the celebrations of occasions like marriages. Being true to its core, Zee Biskope keeps the festive celebrations alive this wedding season, through Lagan Utsav – an unmatched collection of marriage-based movies. Themed around ‘Shaadi mein zaroor aana’, the channel invites the entire family to relive the celebrations of a wedding through a host of Bhojpuri blockbusters. from June 8-12, every morning, at 9:30 AM in the Family Chokha movie band, the film festival will rejoice the wedding season through a celebratory ride filled with drama, music and dance.
Giving the audiences a dose of cheer and happiness, the Lagan Utsav film festival will begin with ‘Nirahua Chalal Sasuraal 2’. The romantic drama featuring Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua) and Amrapali Dubey depicts how a husband and wife can overcome any situation by supporting each other. Up next, the Khesari Lal Yadav and Kajal Raghwani starrer ‘Dulhin Ganga Par Ke’ is a romantic yet family drama where Khesari is in search of his life partner and after many attempts finds his true love, bringing her home as his Dulhaniya. Adding to the galore, Nirahua& Madhu Sharma’s blockbuster ‘Dulhe Raja’ features a story of how the protagonist Dulhe Raja fights against all odds for his Dulhaniya. ‘Dabang Aashiq’ is a complicated tale of love and sacrifice where love knows no boundaries and features Khesari Lal Yadav, Kajal Raghwani& Anjana Singh in the lead roles. The festival culminates with superhit movie ‘Leke Aaja Band Baaja Aye Pawan Raja’ starring Pawan Singh that depicts a story of how two souls bound together by the spirit of true love & affection stand by each other’s side through thick and thin.
Speaking about the wedding special line-up, Amarpreet Singh Saini, Business Head – ZEE Biskope and BIG Ganga said, “ZEE Biskope has always prepared its content strategy with the core intention of uplifting spirits along with regular dose of entertainment for its viewers. The endevour is to remain topical and in synch with our viewers sensibilities at any given period of time. Lagan Utsavwith a special marriage-based movie line up is yet another initiative for our audience to re-live those celebratory moments through the lens of entertainment especially at a time when such ceremonies are not a reality. We look forward to curating more such family-centric offerings in the future through our superlative collection of movies and premieres for our esteemed audience.”
Regaling audiences to their heart’s content, the channel stays true to its core proposition "Aathon Pahariya Loota Lahariya" (enjoy Bhojpuri entertainment throughout the day). The channel is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar (channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 859), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). It’ll soon be available on all other major cable platforms.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
