iWorld
DeadAnt’s DACA 2024 Comedy Awards return for 4th edition
Mumbai: DeadAnt, a media and entertainment company that’s at the leading edge of Indian comedy, today announced the much-anticipated fourth edition of India’s only comedy accolades: the DeadAnt Comedy Awards (DACA). Celebrating the pinnacle of comedic brilliance across diverse categories, DACA 2024 will honour comedians and comedy creators who entertained us and made us laugh in 2023. Starting from 18th May, fans can cast their votes for their favourite comedians—and their contributions to the world of comedy—in 10 popular categories on DeadAnt’s official website. The winners across all segments will be announced soon.
The competition will be at an all-time high with exciting face-offs in store at DACA 2024. From Zakir Khan, Tanmay Bhat, and Abhishek Upmanyu to Kusha Kapila, Shreeja Chaturvedi, and Urooj Ashfaq, among many others, India’s biggest and most talented comedians will be pitted against each other for the coveted titles. The ‘Best Online Comedy Special’ category will witness 15 renowned comedians going head-to-head, including Zakir Khan, Aakash Gupta, Biswa Kalyan Rath, and Anubhav Singh Bassi, among others. The ‘Best TV/Web Series/Format Show by a Comedian’ category will keep comedy superfans on the edge of their seats with nominees including Permanent Roommates S3, Guns & Gulaabs, Happy Family: Conditions Apply, and more. Furthermore, Kusha Kapila, who won Funniest Person On The Indian Internet Award last edition, will gear up to defend her title as she faces off against the likes of Niharika NM, Srishti Dixit, Vishnu Kaushal, Jose Covaco, to name a few, who are in the running for the accolade this edition around. But that’s not all! DACA 2024 will also feature Critics’ Choice Awards and Peer Picks Awards–each judged by a special hand-picked jury–which will be announced shortly as well.
DeadAnt founder & CEO Ravina Rawal remarked: “We are excited to return with another exciting edition of DeadAnt Comedy Awards, recognising talent in the Indian comedy landscape. Our beloved artists have achieved instrumental milestones in recent times, elevating the scale of Indian comedy culture to new heights, and we look forward to honouring them at DACA 2024. We invite all comedy superfans to be a part of this one-of-its-kind celebration of comedic excellence by voting in large numbers for their favourite comedians. After all, fans will play an integral role in helping them win big across various categories.”
Voting for DeadAnt Comedy Awards 2024 is now live on http://www.deadant.co/DACA24 with the winners set to be unveiled soon.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
