MAM
Sony, MTV in together ‘@ Fame Gurukul ‘
MUMBAI: Fame Gurukul @ MTV. Before lawyers out there start licking their chops, a clarification. The music channel has NOT stolen the idea of SET’s latest reality show Fame Gurukul. What it has done is stitch together a programming and promotion deal with Sony.
Buoyed by the success of its big ticket reality show Indian Idol, Sony is pushing its new offering in the genre in all ways possible. Gurukul is slotted on SET at 8:30 pm Monday to Friday.
Quizzed on the tie-up, MTV marketing director Vikram Raizada said, “MTV believes in providing platforms for people to exhibit their talents. MTV stands for music and Fame Gurukul is essentially tilted towards music. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to tie up.”
Fame Gurukul @ MTV launches 11 July on the channel. The show will beam on MTV at 9 pm for 15 minutes from Monday to Wednesday and for half-an-hour on Thursday and Friday.
Raizada points out that everything MTV does is basically based on youth passion. “With our music channel having its finger on their (youth’s) pulse, it makes sense for this marketing/content tie-up.”
Sony’s latest reality talent venture, Fame Gurukul is a show in which, after some auditions, 16 participants were chosen. These young people study in an academy for three months where each of the students will learn the nuances of singing and dancing.
Each student is given a random song that he/she has to practice for a week after which the candidates have to render the song at a show.
At this juncture, the jury checks out each candidate and decides which of the students have to leave the academy or the gurukul.
MTV does its own ‘Gurukul’ spin
Raizada explained that the MTV show is not a repeat of what is shown on Sony, but the music channel’s version of the Sony show with a spin to it.
The high point of the show would be an insight into what’s going on at Gurukul and the contenders who are eliminated will be shown on the MTV show with their reactions and expectations.
Raizada feels that that it’s a good programme because it helps people who have the gift for singing, but do not have the wherewithal to record their music.
“It is ultimately a marketing tie-up and we are looking at having a campaign by the end of the week that will help promote Fame Gurukul on Sony. We are here to build the property,” Raizada explained.
The campaign has been designed essentially to attract eye balls on Sony and MTV and will be used on-air as well as for outdoor promotions. At the end of each episode, Sony will promote the MTV show with a scroll that runs ‘there is ‘more’ to be seen on MTV’.
All characters who appear on Fame Gurukul, including presenters of the show, Mandira Bedi and Manav Gohil (chief of the academy), Ila Arun and jury members Javed Akhtar, KK and Shankar Mahadevan would appear also on Fame Gurukul @ MTV. VJ Sophie would add some zing to the show.
Fame Gurukul is the Indian name for a licensed adaptation of the Spanish reality show, Operacion Triunfo. This Spanish show has been sold to networks in countries including Russia, Italy, Britain, Greece, Mexico, Brazil and Portugal where networks are doing their local versions.
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.
