GECs
NGC’s ‘Mission Udaan’ on last leg at Bangalore
BANGALORE: 60,000 entries from three cities – Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore! Those were the numbers that have to be chopped down to just five finalists by National Geographic Channel (NGC) vice president programming and production – Ramon Chibb and his team for the localisation initiative Mission Udaan.
NGC VP programming, production Ramon Chibb
As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Mission Udaan is the third Mission property for NGC following Mission Everest in 2003 and Mission Mars last year.
The prize will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly at supersonic speeds in a fighter jet and experience life of an air force pilot for an entire month.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Chibb says, “The idea for Mission Udaan was conceived by me. The Air Force accepted this concept quite well probably because we are NGC. So far our team has had no problems whatsoever in any of the missions.”
“The Air Force has given us limited, restricted access to their bases and have set the selection criteria. They are also conducting tests on the applicants. Probably, the sailing may not have been as smooth if it was any other channel,” he adds.
As far as the nature of candidates is concerned Chibb points out that NGC had around 50 girls each from Delhi and Mumbai who participated. Five girls from Delhi were shortlisted from the 10 entries from there. “From Mumbai there are four girls who have been selected, so we’ve eight women and eleven men, a total of nineteen from these two cities,” says Chibb.
“One of these is a very fit 39 year old dentist from Mumbai. The enthusiasm of the participants is amazing, especially here in Bangalore. Many of them have come in even before we did at 5 am, despite the rains. We’ve had two participants, one a fifty nine year old from Mysore – I think a K T Thomas who has been involved with quality and safety issues of military aircraft, and another – a sixty old who flies on official duty for Indian Airlines – an M S Mani. Both wanted to take a shot at it, and they did compete with the youngsters.”
As far as what happens now that the 29 finalists are selected, Chibb explains, “We will be taking them to Mysore tomorrow-all of them for the pilot aptitude tests. After that they’ll have to undergo medical tests at the Institute of Aerospace here in Bangalore. The final five will be picked at this stage. These candidates will get to experience the life of an Air Force pilot. They’ll be exposed to helicopters, to transport planes to fighter aircraft, to MOFT (Mig Operation Fly Training) and para-training at Agra.
Chibb says that this localisation initiative does not mean that the final five who are chosen will be absorbed in the Air Force. That, he says, is done either through the National Defense Academy (NDA) after the tenth or the candidate must be a science graduate with physics and maths. “This is just to expose first hand the life of an Air Force pilot,” he explains.
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.
