iWorld
Applause Entertainment appoints Ashok Cherian as head of marketing and revenue
MUMBAI: Applause Entertainment, the Sameer Nair-led content studio from the Aditya Birla Group, has announced the appointment of Ashok A Cherian as their head of marketing and revenue. At Applause Entertainment, Ashok will lead integrated marketing and brand building and drive revenue for the brand.
Cherian joins Applause to help tap into the enormous opportunity of a potentially 500 million strong mobile-internet-smartphone consumer base that is looking for binge worthy, local, premium populist content.
He has over 19 years of rich and varied experience across print, television, consulting and retail. Prior to Applause, Cherian was the CMO at SMAAASH Entertainment for four years, where he was part of the core team that helped expand the company and its revenues, by rapidly multiplying to 27 units across India and one at the Mall Of America, the largest mall in the USA. He also helped grow the brand swiftly via effective digital marketing and leveraging of brand ambassadors Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Cherian’s repertoire of work comprises of: a seven year stint at MTV India, which also included three seasons of marketing, monetizing and “picking” Roadies as a judge/casting-director on the hit show MTV Roadies; followed by the launches of UTV Broadcasting’s Bindass channels (now Disney); award winning integrated marketing of the first Coke Studio India while at Naked Communications; as well as an insightful domain widening entrepreneurial consulting venture, where he provided strategic and digital solutions for clients ranging from real estate to music bands.
It all started in 1999, when after completing engineering from Mumbai University, he responded to his creativity’s call and started off as a writer at JAM – India’s most loved campus magazine.
Nair said, “The world of entertainment in India is in the midst of a perfect storm. We want to channelize all our energies and experiences into building and creating a strong ecosystem of talent, concepts and execution; we want to create excellence at scale. Ashok has a deep understanding of the entertainment business and is known and respected in the industry. With his experience in marketing, digital and retail, he will be a great addition to Team Applause.”
Speaking on his appointment, Cherian shared “OTT video content is one of the most exciting spaces to be in. Sameer Nair is the man who changed the face of Indian television, and with Applause Entertainment, Sameer’s vision of a premium content studio is set to change the game in the digital space as well.”
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iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
