MAM
Variety debuts in India with cover featuring Bollywood’s big four
MUMBAI: Variety has planted its flag in India, and it has done so with a flourish. The American entertainment bible has launched its Indian edition with a debut cover uniting Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan — a first-of-its-kind assembly of four of Hindi cinema’s most bankable stars on a single magazine front.
The India launch, first announced in the final quarter of 2025, marks Variety’s formal entry into one of the world’s busiest film markets. The inaugural cover is already being talked up in publishing and film circles as a collector’s piece, signalling how seriously the title is taking India’s entertainment economy.
The franchise in India has been acquired by Thursday Tales Pvt. Ltd., which is positioning the magazine as a serious chronicler of the business of show business. The pitch is clear: less gossip, more game theory. Expect reporting on deal-making, market shifts, creative risks and the commercial mechanics behind the arc lights.
The launch issue blends domestic and global voices, tracking emerging trends, profiling rising talent and carrying deep-dive conversations with industry heavyweights and creative disruptors. The idea is to treat Indian entertainment not as spectacle alone but as industry, export and influence.
With the debut, Variety India is betting that the country is ready for sharper, business-first entertainment journalism backed by a global brand. In a market where cinema is religion and streaming is rewiring habits, the magazine wants to be both scorekeeper and storyteller.
The message from its first cover is unmistakable: India is no longer just a film factory for the world — it is a boardroom, a marketplace and a cultural power centre. And Variety intends to have a front-row seat.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
