MAM
Taproot and BBH are India entries to Film Craft Lions shortlist
MUMBAI: Two Indian entries have made it to the Film Craft Lions shortlist at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival: BBH India’s ‘Tanjore’ for Google Chrome and Taproot India’s ‘I am Mumbai’ campaign for The Times of India Group.
BBH India has qualified in the sub category Art Direction. The ad is a part of Google Chrome’s ‘The web is what you make of it’ campaign.
The campaign follows the real story of a local from Tanjore, G Rajendran, who strived to keep alive the dying art of Tanjore paintings. As a part of his mission, he created his own website to facilitate his business/art and other Google products to promote himself. The commercial communicates how the oldest Indian art form collaborated with the most modern marketplace to keep itself relevant and used it effectively to thrive and survive in today’s fast-paced world.
Taproot’s ‘I am Mumbai’ campaign consists of a series of stories featured in the paper compiled in one film. It touched upon current events like the politically-motivated university ban of Rohinton Mistry’s book, the milk adulteration fiasco, the horrifying hell of the kavda orphanage and the fight against illegal political posters destroying our cityscape. The idea was to communicate that every morning one voice – the tabloid Mumbai Mirror – makes sure the many voices in the city are heard. The campaign has been shortlisted in the Direction sub category.
Of the 1721 entries received, 131 have been shortlisted in the category this year. There were 41 entries from India in the Film Craft Lions category, eight more than last year’s 33 entries.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
