GECs
Mumbai DJs spin their magic at ‘War of The DJs’ event
MUMBAI: Zoom’s on ground music initiative The War of the DJ’s which is being done in association with sister company Times Music is going from strength to strength.
On Friday night Mumbai’s discotheque Velocity rocked with non-stop grooving and jiving by youngsters to the sounds of music creations by young DJs, who are trying to make a mark for themselves in the world of music.
The event had earlier visited Hyderabad, New Delhi and Kolkata. The five city tour will now take Bangalore by storm on 29 July. At the Mumbai event, out of 35 participants, 8 were finally short listed, three being women, to perform in the evening.
It was Rohan who came out on top. He will compete against the winners from other cities in the final round on 6 August in Mumbai. A thrilled DJ Rohan says, ” I am the best and I will rock at the firing final and make Mumbai proud”.
Music director Rajeeta Hemwani and DJ Sunny Sarid judged the Mumbai leg of the competition. Mumbaiites were treated to a music jamboree with popular artists such as DJ A-Myth and Earl, V Super Singer- Ravindra and Vijay of Athma fame amongst others who spun their magic until the wee hours of the morning with their extraordinary performances.
The contestants compete using Vinyl’s or CDs or both. Vinyl allows the DJ to touch the record being played thereby permitting him to feel the music and add soul to it. CD mixing, more popular in the country, produces the effect by usage of state of the art technology and techniques like on line sampling, pitch control and alterations of BPM (beats per minute).
Contestants are judged on the basis of the quality of mixes, tracks selected, showmanship and crowd reaction, the use of props and technical efficiency
Technical prowess, creation of break beats, running mixes originality and judges decide the victors. The winner of the final next month will receive a recording contract with Times Music and other prizes.
Times Music established the War of the DJs contest in 1998 to recognise talent in the area of re-mixing. The contest brought focus on the Indian DJ and his contribution to the music and remixes. Founded with the objective of establishing the most credible platform for the DJ fraternity and encourage this unique profession in the country, the War of the DJs has become the destination for all musically inclined people.
Zoom and Times Music state that in the last few years the War of the DJ’s has become the ideal platforms for gifted young DJs to showcase their talent. It has recognised and acknowledged names like DJ Nasha, DJ Russell and DJ Suketu.
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
