iWorld
Experience ambition, greed, love, and passion in Disney+ Hotstar’s ‘Sultan of Delhi’
Mumbai: Agar Delhi ka Sultan banna hai toh, jung bina goli chalaye jeetni hogi! Disney+ Hotstar has launched the trailer of their upcoming drama, Hotstar Specials ‘Sultan of Delhi’. Based on the book, Sultan of Delhi: Ascension by Arnab Ray, the series is produced by Reliance Entertainment and directed by ace director, Milan Luthria. Set to release on 13 October 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar, Sultan Of Delhi is set to take you on a journey where life is at stake and power is all you need to change the game in your favour!
The series stars Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anjum Sharma, veteran actor Vinay Pathak and Nishant Dahiya in pivotal roles, alongside the supremely talented ladies Anupriya Goenka, Mouni Roy, Harleen Sethi, and Mehreen Pirzada in key characters.
Recreating the magic of the vintage era of the 60’s, Sultan Of Delhi follows the story of Arjun Bhatia (Tahir Raj Bhasin), who works with Delhi’s biggest illegal arms dealer, Jagan Seth (Vinay Pathak). In a high-stakes battle for power, Arjun is tested time and again by those around him. Fuelled by ambition, and his calling to become the Sultan Of Delhi, Arjun must navigate a treacherous landscape to emerge victorious, where there is no stopping him and vengeance is unleashed.
Talking about the series, director Milan Luthria said, “I never expected such a thunderous response to our teaser. Many people called me asking if it was my next film. My team and I have worked very hard on Sultan Of Delhi, as I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned for my first outing on the web. The attempt has been to achieve a clutter breaker, a page turner of sorts. I hope the audience picks that up and enjoys it to the fullest.”
Talking about his character and the show, Tahir Raj Bhasin said, “The journey of portraying Arjun Bhatia proved to be a very exciting multifaceted challenge. Arjun Bhatia serves as the central character of the series who evolves drastically as the narrative unfolds. Playing the graph of this transformation was both compelling and exhilarating. Arjun’s character helped me push my boundaries as an actor in a very different way. It was a constant balance between a physically challenging part that needed stunt and weapons training and a nuanced emotional journey that was unique to his individual relationships with other characters in the script. A very special dynamic was the friendship I developed with Anjumm Shharma. Our chemistry in the series echoes the timeless camaraderie of iconic duos like Jai and Veeru, and I am eagerly anticipating the audience’s response to it.”
Talking about his character and the series, Anjum Sharma said, “Collaborating with Disney+ Hotstar and Director Milan Luthria was an incredible experience at various levels. I used to often speak to Milan over the phone and rehearse the scenes with him before actually shooting it. Playing the role of Bangali was heart-warming and complex at the same time. Bangali is a friend that one definitely needs in today’s day and age. While shooting, it was crucial to find a correct graph of friendship between Arjun and Bangali and this helped Tahir and me develop a friendly equation and mutual respect off-screen as well.”
Talking about her role, Mouni Roy said, “Playing the character of Nayantara was a one of a kind experience. While she is bold and fearless on the outside, she is vulnerable and emotional on the inside. She has a side to her that was always looking out for love, care and acceptance. Making my web series debut with a show like Sultan Of Delhi and a Director like Milan Luthria was indeed an incredible experience and this streaming on Disney+ Hotstar is like an icing on the cake. I enjoyed being a part of the 60s era and I hope my fans and audiences enjoy this cool and subtle side of me.”
Get set to be transported to Delhi in 1960’s with Sultan of Delhi, 13 October 2023 onwards, streaming exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar.
iWorld
Meta introduces new AI tools to boost discovery-to-purchase journey
From shoppable Reels to generative video, platforms get smarter at turning attention into sales.
MUMBAI: Meta is turning “scroll and stop” into “scroll, stop, and shop” and it’s using AI to make the whole journey feel almost effortless. The company has announced several new tools and enhancements designed to help brands guide people from discovery to purchase more effectively, while delivering more relevant and personalised experiences across its platforms.
Creators can now add product links more broadly on Instagram Reels, turning their content into shoppable moments. Businesses in 22 countries, including India, will soon be able to share their product catalogues with creators, opening up a new sales channel for brands and fresh monetisation opportunities for creators.
The Creator Marketplace has also been upgraded with enhanced target audience filtering, integrated with Ads Manager. This helps businesses quickly find creators who are a strong match for their goals. Campaigns using Partnership Ads deliver, on average, 19 per cent lower CPAs, 13 per cent higher click-through rates, and 71 per cent higher median brand lift.
Meta is expanding Reels Trending Ads inventory with new content categories including TV & Movies, Travel, Business, Finance & Investments. According to Meta’s analysis of 59 studies, Reels Trending Ads delivered an incremental 6.6 percentage point Ad Recall lift compared to control groups.
AI-Powered Shopping Enhancements
- Product Set Optimisation is now in testing, allowing retail media networks to promote specific products with detailed reporting. Early results show 17 per cent lower median seller cost per purchase.
- Product Showcase is being expanded so marketers can upload one image or video and let Meta’s AI automatically add relevant products as a carousel when it improves performance.
Meta is expanding its generative AI capabilities with:
- UGC-style videos featuring avatars and voiceovers
- Easier voiceover translation and text overlay translation in a single streamlined flow
- New tools to automatically turn product catalogues into dynamic video ads for Reels
Early testing of the Advantage+ creative video generation tool showed a 10 per cent increase in CTR and 8 per cent increase in CVR on average. Campaigns using catalog product video saw 20 per cent more conversions per dollar, while Reels placements with catalog product video delivered 33 per cent higher incremental conversions.
Industry voices welcomed the updates. Vikas Chawla of Social Beat called Partnership Ads a “flywheel” for authentic content that converts. Niti Kumar of Spark Foundry and Sadhvi Dhawan of Blink Digital highlighted the power of Reels Trending Ads for cultural relevance and guaranteed share of voice. Ramasish Bhowmik of Adbuffs noted that Meta’s GenAI tools are giving teams a clear competitive edge.
In a world where attention is fleeting but shopping intent can spark in seconds, Meta is betting that smarter AI will help brands turn discovery into decisions faster than ever. The message is clear: the future of advertising isn’t just about reaching people, it’s about reaching them at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right product.
