iWorld
Human Bondage’s founders reunite for multi-city tribute tour
BENGALURU: India’s early rock legacy returns to the stage this January as founding members of the seminal 1970s band Human Bondage reunite for a three-city concert series titled Tribute to Human Bondage, presented by BLR Airport with Air India Express as official travel partner.
The tour opens in Bengaluru on 16 January before travelling to Goa and concluding in Mumbai, offering audiences a rare revival of the raw, rebellious sound that shaped India’s formative rock years. The concerts bring together Human Bondage founder members Henry “Babu” Joseph and Ramesh Shotham, joined by jazz vocalist Radha Thomas at select venues, alongside contemporary jazz-fusion outfit the Rajeev Raja Combine.
Bengaluru serves as a symbolic launchpad for the series, marking a homecoming for a band deeply intertwined with the city’s early rock movement. Human Bondage, active through the 1970s and 1980s, remains a touchstone for Indian rock aficionados, known for blending Western rock and blues with a distinctive local sensibility.
Rajeev Raja, frontman of the Rajeev Raja Combine, said the collaboration was deeply personal, citing Joseph’s influence during his formative years as a musician. Henry Babu Joseph described the tour as an emotional reunion, revisiting cities where the band originally performed during its early years.
Beyond nostalgia, the series positions live music as a shared cultural experience, foregrounding musicianship, improvisation and collective energy over digital consumption. The concerts aim to introduce younger audiences to rock music in its most elemental form—unfiltered and performed live.
For BLR Airport, the collaboration reinforces its positioning as a cultural hub that supports live arts beyond transit spaces. Air India Express said its association reflects the airline’s wider engagement with India’s cultural ecosystem, including its ‘Tales of India’ initiative, which showcases indigenous art across its aircraft fleet.
Tribute to Human Bondage is powered by BrandMusiq and managed by StreaminLive. Tickets for the Mumbai show on 17 January at Fandom are available on SkillBox.
iWorld
Prime Video bets big on India with global originals, films and franchise expansion
Execs highlight scale, travelability and new IP bets as India anchors global strategy
MUMBAI: At Prime Video Presents 2026, the message was clear and confident. India is not just part of the plan, it is central to it.
In a lively fireside chat hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar, Kelly Day, vice president of prime video and amazon mgm studios international, Nicole Clemens, vice president of international originals, and Gaurav Gandhi, vice president for Apac and Anz, laid out an ambitious roadmap. Think bigger stories, wider reach and a sharper focus on building franchises that travel.
Kelly Day, a regular visitor to India, set the tone early. Calling the country “one of the most important markets globally”, she pointed to the sheer scale and diversity of audiences as a driving force behind Prime Video’s growth. Indian Originals, she said, are not just local hits but global engines powering subscriptions and engagement.
That global appeal is already visible. According to Clemens, around 25 percent of viewership for Indian content now comes from outside the country. Shows rooted deeply in local culture are finding fans worldwide, proving that specificity, when paired with universal themes, travels well. From gritty dramas to sharp thrillers, Indian storytelling is increasingly crossing borders with ease.
Clemens, who joined recently to lead international originals, was particularly upbeat about India’s creative range. She highlighted a growing slate of over 100 shows in development and production, with more than 60 percent returning for multiple seasons. For her, the formula is simple. Authentic stories, told well, resonate everywhere.
Adding to the buzz, she teased new and returning titles, alongside a fresh superhero universe, the Kalyug Warriors. It signals a push into new genres while doubling down on familiar fan favourites.
If content is king, distribution is the clever courtier. Day outlined Prime Video’s layered business model in India, which blends subscription, rentals, add on channels and ad supported viewing through Amazon MX Player. The idea is straightforward. Give viewers choice, whether they want premium, free or pay per view.
India, she noted, has also become a testing ground for innovation. Tiered pricing, mobile only plans and language diversity have all been sharpened here before being exported to other markets. In many ways, the India playbook is now influencing global strategy.
For Gaurav Gandhi, the next chapter is about scale with intent. He outlined four priorities. Making Prime Video more accessible, pushing Indian content globally, building stronger franchises and supercharging the films business.
On films, the platform is moving beyond licensing into co productions and now theatrical releases in partnership with amazon mgm studios. These films will eventually stream on Prime Video, creating a full circle from cinema halls to living rooms across 240 countries.
Franchise building remains another key pillar. With hits like The Family Man, Mirzapur and Panchayat already enjoying multi season success, the focus is now on creating the next wave of enduring IP. Newer titles are already lining up for second seasons, signalling a steady pipeline.
What stood out through the conversation was a shared belief. Streaming in India is still in its early innings, and the runway is long. With a mix of local flavour and global ambition, Prime Video is betting that stories from India will not just stay at home, but travel far and wide.
Or as the executives seemed to suggest, the world is watching and India has plenty more to show.
