iWorld
Kapil Sharma goes beyond the screen to surprise fan!
Mumbai – The Great Indian Kapil Show which launched on 30 March has been the talk of the town since the first announcement dropped by Netflix last year. Three weeks in a row, the show has been trending in the Global Top 10 List – Netflix’s weekly Top 10 lists of the most-watched TV and films. For the first time ever, Netflix in partnership with ACT Fibernet, has done something unique and clutter breaking delighting fans across the country! Through this partnership, Kapil Sharma,
Sunil Grover and Krushna Abhishek surprised fans by traveling all the way to their respective cities, knocking on their doors and waltzing into their homes & hearts leaving their neighbors green with envy.
The emotions went from surprise to delight to in a matter of seconds as Kapil, Sunil and Krushna went knocking on people’s doors. From squeals of “Oh My God, I can’t believe it” to “Agli baar bhabhi aur bacchon ko lekar aana” there was a whole lot of love and ‘apnapan’ showered on Kapil & the team. Elderly couples to young adults and kids, all queued up and patiently waited for a glimpse of their favourite artists from balconies and windows – cheering for them, as they walked around the neighborhood soaking in all the smiles with only and only gratitude in their hearts.
Sharma shared, “When I first heard this idea from Netflix, I absolutely loved it. No further questions asked. I have always talked about the deepest gratitude and regard I hold for my fans and to be able to meet them in person, in their homes, and share a moment with them, is a priceless experience for me. It almost felt like meeting my extended family. I am glad we could do this. It feels surreal when you get treated so warmly by fans and you are privy to their genuine feelings so up close and personal.”
Grover further added, “The expression on people’s faces – the surprise, delight and warmth just touched my heart. I am falling short of words to express myself. I am touched by the amount of love people showered on us. This whole experience has engraved itself in my core memory. I can’t stop smiling as I say this.”
Abhishek shared, “Getting an opportunity to be treated not like a guest but like family in the homes of our amazing fans was deeply moving. It has reinstated that we are on the right track and it only motivates us to keep working harder. It absolutely felt great to personally visit societies and homes –
where people knew so much about us. They asked us so caringly about our family and kids. To know that people are enjoying the episodes with family saying they have a reason to watch something so wholesome together is reassuring and I would like to congratulate Netflix for bringing us together.”
Talking about the surprise visits organized by ACT Fibernet and Netflix, ACT Fibernet CMO Ravi Karthik said, “This unique collaboration between ACT Fibernet and Netflix has brought the magic of entertainment directly into the homes of subscribers. It also showcases the power of laughter to unite communities. Kapil, Sunil and Krushna are household names, known and loved for their TV appearances for years. With their new show – The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix, we saw this as an opportunity to provide our subscribers with an advantage and organized these surprise visits. By bridging the virtual and real worlds, ACT Fibernet and Netflix reaffirm their commitment to enhancing the customer experience while spreading joy through laughter.”
e-commerce
Visa report tracks rise of India’s affluent, experience-led spending
Affluent base doubles to 130 lakh, travel 58 per cent of elite spends.
MUMBAI: In India’s new luxury playbook, it’s less about owning more and more about living better. A new whitepaper by Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) maps a decisive shift in India’s affluent economy, where spending is becoming more intentional, experience-led, and closely tied to personal identity rather than pure income growth.
Titled India’s Affluent Economy 2025–2026, the report draws on a Visa-commissioned Yougov study and VisaNet data across travel, dining, retail and lifestyle categories. The headline number is hard to miss: individuals earning over Rs 10 lakh annually have nearly doubled from 69 lakh to 130 lakh, significantly expanding the country’s discretionary spending base.
But it’s not just about scale, it’s about behaviour. As consumers move up the affluence ladder, discretionary categories are taking a larger share of credit card spends, positioning cards as key enablers of premium, lifestyle-driven consumption.
The geography of wealth is shifting too. Affluence is no longer confined to metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Lucknow increasingly mirroring metro consumption patterns.
The report highlights a clear pivot from ownership to access. More than 50 per cent of affluent consumers now use cards for elite memberships, while 7 in 10 are drawn to limited-edition drops and curated collections. Increasingly, luxury is defined by seamless access be it concierge-led travel or curated dining where time saved is as valuable as money spent.
Spending patterns reinforce this shift. Among the ultra-elite, travel accounts for 58 per cent of discretionary spends, far outpacing retail and luxury combined at 28 per cent. Cross-border spending penetration stands at 63 per cent, signalling a growing global outlook among India’s affluent.
Closer home, indulgence is becoming routine. Nearly 4 in 5 affluent consumers dine at premium establishments at least three times a year, while 1 in 4 visit luxury venues more than five times annually. Dining spends are also climbing, with Rs 20,000 emerging as a new entry-level benchmark per experience and Rs 50,000 marking premium territory.
Retail, meanwhile, is becoming more selective. Three in four affluent consumers make a high-end purchase at least once a quarter, while one in four shops premium every two weeks. Luxury retail intensity is also rising, with 2 in 5 consumers spending over Rs 5 lakh annually, and a smaller but significant segment exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Technology and wellness are carving out new roles in this ecosystem. High-end gadgets now see average spends of Rs 60,000 or more per purchase, while ultra-elite consumers are eight times more likely to visit spas and show five times higher engagement with cosmetic stores than non-affluent groups.
The broader takeaway is structural. Affluent consumers are no longer buying products, they are buying ecosystems. Integrated experiences across travel, dining, wellness and payments are becoming central to how this segment lives and spends.
As India’s affluent base expands beyond metros and aligns more closely with global consumption patterns, the real opportunity lies not just in size, but in speed. For brands, the message is clear: relevance will be defined by how early and how seamlessly, they plug into this evolving lifestyle economy.
