iWorld
From Bahubali to Billion Views India Aims for a Creative Content Super League
MUMBAI: If cricket can become a family blockbuster, why not Indian stories? That was the rallying cry from Sony Pictures Networks India managing director & CEO Gaurav Banerjee at FICCI Frames 2025. Addressing a packed room of media moguls, policymakers, and creators, he asked a question that hit home: What’s stopping India from birthing a content giant, an IPL of entertainment that’s global in scale yet rooted in our own stories?
Banerjee painted a vivid timeline of India’s entertainment inflexion points. First, the early 2000s witnessed Kaun Banega Crorepati, a game show with a Bollywood superstar as its face, a world-first. Then came the 2008 Indian Premier League, which turned cricket into family entertainment and spawned a robust talent pipeline. And more recently, pan-India phenomena like Satyamev Jayate, Anupama, and films like Bahubali showcased the universal appeal of Indian storytelling. But, he pointed out, the last big leap happened nearly a decade ago leaving a glaring creative gap waiting to be filled.
“The challenge,” he said, “is building an ecosystem where creativity meets scale where every year can give rise to a new Lagaan or a Squid Game created right here in India.” Banerjee argued that the key lies in aggregating human capital. Citing Enrico Moretti’s The New Geography of Jobs, he explained that regions flourish when innovation-driven industries cluster talent, research, and enterprise, essentially a Silicon Valley of creativity.
Drawing a parallel with the IPL, Banerjee highlighted how structured scouting, talent pipelines, and consistent investment can create world-class outputs. “Every season in the IPL introduces at least six new cricketers,” he said. “We need a similar mechanism to unearth and nurture storytellers local, authentic, and ready for global stages.”
The proof, he noted, already exists in pockets. The Malayalam film industry has produced films like Loka Chapter 1, which, despite a budget under Rs 30 crore, has raked in over Rs 300 crore at the box office. “This is not a one-off,” Banerjee enthused. “Films like Avesham, 2080, and Manjula Boys have built an ecosystem of excellence. Loka is the latest chapter in this evolution.”
So how can India scale this success? Banerjee outlined three steps. First, building creative institutions and centres of excellence to scout and nurture talent. Second, forging deep collaboration between academic centres and creative firms akin to Stanford and Silicon Valley to create a continuous dialogue between innovation and execution. Third, reforming regulation to be enabling rather than restrictive. “Creativity is human capital at its purest,” he said. “Yet, current labour and regulatory frameworks are anchored in a colonial past. To unleash India’s creative potential, we must reimagine rules and give imagination room to breathe.”
Banerjee stressed that creativity is no longer peripheral. It fuels jobs, innovation, exports India’s identity, and amplifies soft power. “If India wants to write the next chapter of global leadership,” he said, “we must invest in creativity with the same vision and boldness as we do in new technologies.”
Closing with a clarion call, Banerjee urged policymakers, media leaders, and creators to think globally, experiment boldly, and champion a future where India’s creative economy sits at the heart, not the margins, of the nation’s growth story.
From the IPL’s cricketing pitches to the studios of Kochi and Mumbai, India’s content revolution is poised to go prime time and this time, the audience is the world.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
