Hindi
Producer Sunjoy Waddhwa speaks on the success of Ranneeti
Mumbai: With rave reviews and viewer adulation, the Sphereorigins produced series ‘Ranneeti: Balakot and Beyond’ has managed to raise the benchmark of Indian OTT programming.
The show starring Jimmy Shergill, Ashutosh Rana, Lara Dutta, and Ashish Vidyarthi, among others and directed by Santosh Singh has managed to grab eyeballs with its gripping portrayal of hybrid warfare post the deadly Pulwama attacks, also being lauded for its authentic representation and storytelling.
“Ranneeti is indeed a great story with top-class acting providing a near-realistic portrayal of IAF as a professionally battle-hardened service. The episodes are riveting to watch, with direction and scenes of air battles in particular being of high quality, I would say, amongst the finest so far on Indian screens,” said Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani (Retd), former vice chief IAF conveying his wishes to the team behind the series.
However, it is learnt that bringing this complex narrative to life was no easy feat, with the creators facing numerous challenges in crafting a show that balanced technical accuracy with engaging drama. With over two years spent in research and development, the teams worked on multiple drafts before zeroing in on the final version.
“The original concept and research was ideated by Sanjay Chopra who is a pilot himself and I was very keen to make a Series on defence forces. One of the greatest challenges was ensuring that we honoured the real-life experiences of those involved in hybrid warfare. We had to approach the storytelling with empathy and sensitivity, particularly for viewers who may have personal connections to the themes explored.” said Sphereorigins Multivision Pvt Ltd producer and MD Sunjoy Waddhwa who is also known for producing path-breaking television shows like Balika Vadhu, Saraswatichandra, Peshwa Bajirao, Pandya Store and Saat Phere among the huge repertoire of the company.
The scale of “Ranneeti” was another significant challenge. The show being one of the most grand series made in India, required the teams to scout real-like locations to keep the authentic element of the show intact. Eventually, Ranneeti was shot at multiple locations like Kashmir, Punjab, Delhi, Mumbai, Belgrade and Novi Sad, across India and Serbia.
“We wanted to be authentic in all manners as best as we could while still creating a drama that would keep the audience hooked. Anything different could have ruined the experience for the viewer. There were logistical challenges, from scouting locations to coordinating shoots across various regions. Our team managed to navigate these hurdles and bring together a cohesive production ” Waddhwa added.
It is learned that to ensure the authenticity of the material, defence experts and aerial action experts were also brought in to work on the show, in addition to working with military artillery and fighter jets to ensure credibility and authenticity.
“…I had goosebumps during the depiction of the Balakot attack, especially the farewell party scene and the Wolf pack prep. I am so glad that it’s covering Abhinandan in detail, his role is illustrious. As was the lady AWACS controller …. I would like to extend my best wishes to the entire team of Ranneeti.” Said Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar congratulating the team.
A mammoth task to produce and execute, Ranneeti with the scale and storytelling of this calibre is what has enthralled fans across the country. Here’s hoping we get to see many more such shows and looking forward to yet another season of the show!
Hindi
India’s telecom subscribers cross 1.32 billion in February 2026
Broadband base swells past 1.06 billion as Jio and Airtel tighten grip on the market.
MUMBAI: India’s telecom sector is ringing in steady growth once again adding millions of new connections every month while the race for broadband supremacy continues to heat up like a fiercely contested cricket match. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 1 April 2026, the total telephone subscriber base in the country reached 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026. This marked a net addition of 7.31 million subscribers during the month, translating into a monthly growth rate of 0.56 per cent.
Wireless subscribers (including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access) stood at 1,273.31 million, registering a net addition of 6.97 million and a growth rate of 0.55 per cent. Within this, urban wireless connections grew to 730.75 million (growth 0.70 per cent), while rural wireless subscribers reached 542.56 million (growth 0.35 per cent).
Wireline subscribers, though much smaller in scale, showed slightly faster growth. The total wireline base increased to 47.99 million, with a net addition of 0.34 million and a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent. Urban areas continued to dominate wireline connections with a share of 89.41 per cent.
Overall tele-density in India improved to 92.66 per cent. Urban tele-density stood at 150.68 per cent, while rural tele-density edged up to 60.02 per cent.
The broadband subscriber base crossed a significant milestone, reaching 1,059.05 million at the end of February 2026. This reflected a healthy net addition of 6.33 million subscribers and a monthly growth rate of 0.60 per cent from January’s figure of 1,052.72 million.
Segment-wise, mobile wireless access continued to drive the majority of growth with 996.52 million subscribers. Fixed Wireless Access (including 5G FWA) added 16.51 million, while wired broadband stood at 46.02 million.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. maintained its commanding lead with 519.64 million broadband subscribers. Bharti Airtel Ltd. followed with 364.14 million, Vodafone Idea Ltd. with 129.36 million, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. with 28.70 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. with 2.38 million.
Together, these top five players command a massive 98.60 per cent share of the total broadband market.
In the wireless (mobile) segment, private operators continued to dominate with 92.59 per cent market share, leaving public sector undertakings (BSNL and MTNL) with just 7.41 per cent.
Out of the total 1,257.29 million wireless (mobile) subscribers, 1,177.60 million were active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date, representing an impressive 93.66 per cent activity rate. Bharti Airtel led in this metric with 99.42 per cent of its subscribers active.
Meanwhile, 14.47 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in February, indicating healthy competition and customer churn across zones.
While urban areas still lead in absolute numbers, rural connectivity is slowly catching up. Rural wireless tele-density stood at 59.46 per cent, compared with the much higher urban figure of 142.32 per cent.
Fixed Wireless Access using 5G technology also showed promising traction, growing to 11.93 million subscribers. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are the primary players driving this segment.
The data paints a picture of a maturing yet still rapidly expanding telecom ecosystem. With total telephone subscribers now well past the 1.32 billion mark and broadband users comfortably above 1.06 billion, India continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s largest and most dynamic digital markets.
From bustling city streets to remote villages, more Indians are staying connected than ever before proving that when it comes to telecom, the country’s appetite for growth shows no signs of hanging up anytime soon.
