iWorld
ALTBalaji’s apharan now available for Amazon Alexa users
MUMBAI: “Kehte hain jaane waale laut kar nahin aate. Galat kehte hain!”, this popular dialogue from Apharan on ALTBalaji is just one of the many reasons why, one of the best suspense thrillers in the Indian OTT space enjoys such a high mass appeal. As massification of OTT grips the nation and the globe, ALTBalaji decided to up the ante and take the show to Alexa users to reach out further to internet connected consumers across the country.
Amazon India is working with developers to expand Alexa’s India focused skills, and ALTBalaji is very proud to be one of the early adopters to get on to the platform. Till date 100 million devices with Alexa built in have been sold across the globe. As per an Accenture report, 150 million users will be using voice in India this year in the form of a voice assistant and search. With a huge proliferation of these devices into more and more Indian homes, fans of ALTBalaji web-series can now seamlessly sample their favourite shows right from the Alexa eco-system.
Riding on the back of some stellar acting, cinematography, dialogues and a crisp plot, Apharan became the talk of the town and has garnered an unprecedented IMDb rating of 9.2/10 as well as claimed a host of awards for best actors and best direction. In order to immerse themselves in the gritty, entertaining world of Senior Inspector Rudra Shrivastava, filled with its myriad surprises and suspense, all that a user would have to say is, “Alexa, Enable Apharan”. In addition to the trailer, Alexa users now also get seamless access to Apharan’s title track, dialogues, interesting trivia and jokes that further amplifies the entertainment quotient.
Speaking about the integration, Divya Dixit — Senior VP and Head Marketing, ALTBalaji, said, “With Alexa being a market leader in the smart-connected devices space, this is further going to expand our reach to a larger demographic. We have already carved out a niche in the industry through our originals, and with this one of a kind innovation with Alexa, we are providing another touchpoint to users to interact with one of our most iconic shows and we will expand this association to more shows from us. Apharan… Sabka Katega continues to win accolades and unprecedented adulation amongst the masses.”
Varun Badola – Actor and Dialogue writer said, “Apharan is a very special show for me and I am completely indebted to the audiences for making the dialogues so memorable and viral. I couldn’t have asked for a better platform than Alexa to reach out to and engage with the tech savvy audiences of today, in a fun manner that’s never seen before.
Building on the legacy of creating iconic shows, ALTBalaji’s exclusive content library has built a catalogue of more than 42 Originals like ‘Apharan,’ ‘Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Gandii Baat’, ‘The Test Case’, ‘Bose: Dead or Alive’ among others, which continue to be lauded by viewers across the globe.
Gaming
Roblox appoints Sunil Rao as India managing director to drive growth
Former AWS leader to lead creator ecosystem, partnerships and local strategy
MUMBAI: Roblox has appointed Sunil Rao as managing director for India, as the company looks to deepen its footprint in one of its fastest-growing markets.
Rao, who will join in May, will serve as the senior-most representative for Roblox in India, leading local strategy, partnerships and day-to-day operations. His mandate includes strengthening the platform’s presence, supporting the creator ecosystem and aligning India’s market needs with global priorities.
A key focus area will be nurturing India’s growing community of developers and creators, enabling local studios to leverage Roblox’s tools for scaling and monetisation. Globally, the platform’s creator community earned over $1.5 billion in 2025, underlining the economic potential of user-generated content ecosystems.
“Roblox is at the forefront of enabling a new generation of creators and games. India’s scale, creativity, and entrepreneurial energy present a massive opportunity,” said Rao. “I’m excited to build a vibrant and inclusive ecosystem that empowers developers and creators across the country. Ensuring child safety and aligning closely with India’s regulatory framework will be among my top priorities.”
Welcoming the appointment, Roblox vice president international Zhen Fang said India represents a high-potential market for the company. “Sunil brings deep expertise in building operations across diverse markets, and his passion for community-centric platforms makes him the ideal leader to drive our next chapter of growth in the country.”
Rao brings over two decades of experience across technology platforms, venture capital and developer ecosystems. He was previously part of the leadership team at Amazon Web Services, where he led strategy and corporate business development across Asia-Pacific and Japan. He also served as a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, working closely with startups and founders.
Earlier in his career, Rao played a key role in building developer ecosystems at Symbian, Nokia and Google, contributing to the growth of major mobile and internet platforms.
With India’s large youth population and rapidly evolving digital landscape, Roblox’s latest leadership move signals a sharper focus on long-term growth, local relevance and creator-led innovation in the market.
