iWorld
New series ‘Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu’ on Zee5 from May 5
Mumbai: Come May 5, fireflies will swarm all over the TV screens. No, we are not prophesying a futuristic horror scenario, but talking about a one-of-its-kind web series on Zee 5 titled Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu. The series is Directed by national award-winning Hemant Gaba, with Animesh Verma as the showrunner, and produced by Amrit Walia, targets family audiences, including teens who are at a vulnerable stage in their lives and grappling with all kinds of problems.
“Our protagonist, Parth, is one such teenager who fails in his exams and is now in the same class as his bright, sassy younger brother. An object of derision and ridicule, he lives in the small Himalayan town of Bheem Mukteshwar and one afternoon, on his way home from school, lands up in the nearby forest, which is believed to be haunted by a Van Rakshak (Demon of the Forest) at that particular time of the year when a Sanjeevani tree, known to bring people back from the dead as evidenced by Lakshman’s resurrection in the Ramayan, takes root. He is followed back by hordes of fireflies,” shared Hemant.
“The series raises and answers queries of teens through the young Parth across ten episodes, using live-action and animation to not just entertain but impart some life lessons too,” added Hemant.
Renowned mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik is the script consultant of the series and American comic book writer who has worked extensively with DC and Marvel, Ron Marz is the script doctor, for this one-of-a-kind Indian fantasy drama.
The show has a talented ensemble. Besides Meet Mukhi, seen in Sony TV’s Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2, who plays Parth, the show also features Riva Arora, popular from Colors’ Pavitra Bhagya, Zee’s Dance Bangla Dance Akshat Singh and other child actors Anaya Shivan and Aekam Binjwe. Priyanshu Chatterjee and Vineeta M Joshee play Parth’s parents, while Madhoo Shah is his wise grandmother. Varun, who made his Bollywood debut in Gangubai Kathiyawadi as Gangu’s love interest Ramnik Laal, brings in the romance with Zoya Afroze’s Nyasa. DJ-actor Luke Kenny plays a pivotal role.
“While Fireflies Parth Aur Jugnu is primarily for teens, it will appeal to their younger siblings, parents, and even grandparents because the issues it raises are very relatable across generations, and the lessons come out of not just age and experience but are imparted through tales from Indian mythology that like the fireflies light up the darkness in every way. That’s I think the USP,” said Madhoo Shah, who plays Nani in the series.
“The content for kids, especially teens is very far and few in our country and it is nice to be part of a series where all the family members can sit and watch it together without feeling uncomfortable. That was something that made me say yes.” added the actor who was earlier seen in the series Nail Polish with Arjun Rampal.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
