MAM
Zoom’s Kukian joins Radio City as national sales head
MUMBAI: Radio City is on a hiring spree. The latest to join the radio station is Zoom regional sales head (West and East) Ashit Kukian. He will be joining Radio City in the first week of November as national head – corporate sales.
The news comes hardly a week after Radio City announced that it had roped in UTV Television Content chief operating officer Vikas Varma as its national head programming.
In June this year, Sandeep Sharma, who was the then national sales head of Radio City, put in his papers to join Times Now as vice-president and head of ad sales. Post his departure, Star’s Jayant Bokare stepped into Sharma’s shoes as a stop gap arrangement.
Kukian, who has been associated with the Times of India (TOI) for the last 13 years, officially put in his papers at Zoom today (10 October) and will be serving his notice period till the end of the month.
Confirming the development to Indiantelevision.com, Kukian says, “The medium of radio has been growing steadily recently and is definitely here to stay. It is a good career opportunity for me as well as an opportunity to grow further as an individual.”
At TOI, Kukian was handling sales for Femina and the Filmfare Magazine for close to seven years. Post, that he was also involved with the display advertising division of TOI for three years. Kukian was one of the core members of Zoom during the time of its launch a year back.
Brands
Parle-G celebrates Bihu with music-led campaign rooted in culture
Two-part films blend nostalgia and storytelling to capture Assam’s festive soul
MUMBAI: Parle-G has turned to music, memory and meaning in its latest campaign celebrating Bihu, offering a culturally rooted tribute that goes beyond typical festive advertising.
Created by Thought Blurb Communications, the two-part campaign builds on the brand’s long-standing thought of finding joy in others’ happiness. It begins with a music-led prequel and culminates in a narrative-driven film that explores the emotional essence of the festival.
The campaign opened with a two-and-a-half-minute Bihu music video featuring Partha Hazarika, with music composed by Nilotpal Bora and vocals by Dikshu. Rather than positioning itself as a conventional brand piece, the video leaned into authenticity, capturing the vibrancy and rhythm of Bihu. Viewers also drew emotional parallels to Zubeen Garg, whose absence lent the film a nostalgic undertone. The response was swift, with over 12 million combined views across YouTube and Instagram within a week.
Building on this momentum, the main film tells the story of Ahir, a musician struggling to compose a Bihu song within the confines of a studio. His journey takes him into the open landscapes of Assam and eventually to the banks of the Brahmaputra, where a boatman helps him rediscover the true spirit of Bihu. The narrative underscores a simple idea that the festival cannot be manufactured in isolation, it must be experienced in nature, community and shared joy.
Speaking about the campaign, Parle Products vice president Mayank Shah said the initiative aims to celebrate not just the festival but the emotion behind it. He noted that Bihu reflects the idea that joy multiplies when shared, a theme that sits at the heart of the story.
From the agency side, Thought Blurb Communications chief creative officer Vinod Kunj said the team sought to tap into Assam’s cultural pulse, acknowledging the emotional void left by the absence of Zubeen Garg while celebrating the enduring spirit of the festival.
Adding to this, Thought Blurb Communications national creative director Renu Somani Karwa said the campaign draws from deeply human stories, where small acts of generosity become powerful expressions of connection.
Meanwhile, Thought Blurb Communications executive creative director Auryndom Bose highlighted the importance of nature in shaping Bihu’s identity, noting that the film attempts to capture how music and movement emerge organically from the landscape itself.
With this campaign, Parle-G leans into cultural storytelling with a lighter brand footprint and a stronger emotional core. By placing music and community at the centre, it offers a reminder that some stories are best told not in studios, but in the shared rhythms of real life
