MAM
The Quint launches The ‘Bold Bunch’ web series in association with Kohler Co.
MUMBAI: The Quint – India’s leading mobile-first online news portal, has launched its new and exciting web series – The Bold Bunch, presented by Kohler Co. The talk show brings to light the achievements of handpicked new age Bollywood celebrities, who have broken barriers and created a reverential mark in the industry.
Hosted by renowned Bollywood film critic and entertainment industry veteran Rajeev Masand, The ‘Bold Bunch’ series presents and celebrates stories of Bollywood personalities from different walks of life, who have gone beyond the conventional to make bold and experimental choices in their line of work.
The new-age Bollywood celebrities who appear as guests on The Bold Bunch include – Radhika Apte, an actress known for her unconventional and versatile choice of films; Zoya Akhtar, the filmmaker with a Midas touch; Rajkummar Rao, award winning actor; Vicky Kaushal, the promising actor who has already become the flavour of the season; and Rhea Kapoor, the filmmaker who has reiterated the ‘bold is beautiful’ ideology with her blockbuster movies.
The series was launched with Radhika Apte on March 25, 2019 followed by a brand new episode every Monday evening.
Commenting on the launch, Ms. Ritu Kapur, CEO and Co-Founder, The Quint, said, “The idiom of storytelling in cinema and on the net has shifted to experimenting with far more nuanced narratives and characters. And the new bold bunch of actors and directors has infused this change with tremendous talent and confidence. Who better to analyse this than Rajeev, who has tracked cinema through its ebb and flow.”
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
