iWorld
OnMobile leads $13 million funding in Chingari app
MUMBAI: Bengaluru-based OnMobile has led a $13 million (Rs 98.7 crore) funding round in short video platform Chingari. The company believes that this investment will allow Chingari to accelerate its growth from 56 million users to over 100 million users.
Following this investment, OnMobile will soon integrate and distribute Onmo, the company's direct-to-customer gaming platform on the Chingari app. In a recent statement, the company also revealed its plans to collaborate on other product integrations in the future.
"The Chingari team has built a terrific product with great user retention and growth. Onmo gaming’s short format challenges and Chingari's short-form videos complement each other well," said OnMobile CEO Krish Seshadri.
Investors who participated in this round include Republic Labs US, Astarc Ventures, White Star Capital, India Tv (Rajat Sharma), JPIN Venture Catalysts Ltd, ProfitBoard Ventures, Raghunandan G of Zolve (Co-Founder,Taxi4sure) and some large family office funds from the UK.
Chingari co-founder and CEO Sumit Gosh asserted that Chingari will soon become a content super media app for a billion Indians.
"We couldn't have hoped for a better partner than OnMobile and Krish to help Chingari embody its vision and become a content super media app for Bharat, and help engage the billion Indians. With our visions aligned, this partnership promises to be a winning collaboration," added Gosh.
Last year, Chingari had raised $1.4 million from a series of Angels, including Jasminder Gulati, FJ Labs (Fabrice Grinda), Angelist, Utsav Somani’s iSeed, Village Global, and Blume Founders Fund.
OnMobile executive chairman François-Charles Sirois remarked, ''We are very excited about this investment and partnership bringing millions of users to the new ONMO gaming service while providing immediate business value and increased user reach for both companies.''
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
