Cable TV
Qalam 2001 : Nisha Sharda
The name Aneeta Gulati says it all. Gulati exudes confidence, possesses flamboyant an sophisticated style, along shrewdness and dryness in her tone. .She is a business tycoon with a huge business empire -liquor comapany, garment exports, tv channel and a chain of restaurants in the name of Ecstasy. A perfect business woman she is. ..she knows how to crack deals by manipulating the excise duties in her favours, thereby increasing her rivals. She smokes dozens of cigarettes, drinks and leads a life of solitude. Emotions, feelings, love, relationships do not figure anywhere in her dictionary. .they are alien to her. …Perhaps because she was groomed like this by her grandmother.
One fine day, Aneeta inherits a farmhouse and a coffee estate in Coorg and goes there to visit the place. ..She falls in love w.ith the plush greenary,heavenly divine place. She goes to the coffee estate and much to her amazement she sees a man seated on the machan(on stilts) gazing at the sky with his binoculars. She walks up to him and asks him ” What are you doing here”, in a very rude and dry tone. “I am talking to my mom;you interrupted us”, he replies with equal arrogance.
Aneeta glares at this weird and crazy guy and he asks her “You??” I am Aneeta Gulati AND I own this estate and you? I am Rashid Kaul,” he replies with a scornful and cocky grin. “I am a hermit cum philosopher cum explorer.” There is a glint in his eyes which she noticed. He says, “come with me.”
She follows him without feeling a trifle scared to the thick caves nearby and is astonished to see a row of colourful paintings based on episodes oflife,philosophy. She is bowled over and co-relates the paintings with her painful past, but does not mention it to Rashid. She says, “you paint pretty well .Your paintings speak of dark areas of life. “
Aneeta goes back to her Mumbai .She could not could not let go of the cave paintings, his face, his smile. There was something magical, charming about him..a charm that attracted her like magnet to Coorg. She met Rashid .He sure did have an immense mesmerising power. She was gruff, arrogant and couldn’t let go of all this because of her stubborn, egoistical, ruthless nature. He, on the other hand was a cool minded human being who cherished life and loved nature… He was passionate about everything in life. Their diametrically opposite natures strike a chord….love. She fell in love with him and Rashid ‘ s charm and philosophy was enough to transform into a soft, loving and caring human being.He loved her too. She felt complete with him. She said, ” I have achieved happiness, solace and love, only thanks to you and this wonderful paradise; you have filled a void in my life”. She becomes vulnerable and submits herself to him.
Months roll by and she gives birth to a son, who is born out of wedlock. Rashid hates her and filled with despise, he kills her son. Frantically in search of her son, Aneeta goes to the caves. She learns that Rashid killed her son brutally and also that Rashid was a FAKE!!!
She was taken for a very very long ride……..
Aneeta and Rashid come face to face. Her eyes are filled with tears as she blurts to him, “WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO ME??” A dramatic situation where the truth is unfolded that he was no philosopher; but a partner of the rival company called ‘Galaxy’ and did all this to ruin her completely, she had to be taught a lesson for being ruthless, harsh , too proud and obssessed with her wealth and material world………. I took over your business by making you sign on the property papers and the business empire. You are now where you should be. ..” After saying all this to the much devastated Aneeta , Rashid takes a step backwards and takes a step backwards and takes a chopper and………
MUMBAI: When margins wobble, liquidity talks and in Q3 FY25-26, cash did most of the talking. Den Networks Limited closed the December quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs.251 crore, marginally higher than the previous quarter but down 4 per cent year-on-year, even as profitability stayed resilient on the back of strong cash reserves and disciplined cost control.
Subscription income softened to Rs.98 crore, slipping 3 per cent sequentially and 14 per cent from last year, while placement and marketing income offered some cheer, rising 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs.148 crore. Total costs climbed faster than revenue, up 7 per cent QoQ to Rs.238 crore, driven largely by higher content costs and operating expenses. As a result, EBITDA dropped sharply to Rs.13 crore from Rs.19 crore in Q2 and Rs.28 crore a year ago, pulling margins down to 5 per cent.
Yet, the bottom line refused to blink. Profit after tax stood at Rs.40 crore, up 15 per cent sequentially and only marginally lower than last year’s Rs.42 crore. A healthy Rs.57 crore in other income helped cushion operating pressure, keeping profit before tax at Rs.48 crore, broadly stable quarter-on-quarter despite the tougher cost environment.
The real headline-grabber, however, sits on the balance sheet. The company remains debt-free, with cash and cash equivalents swelling to Rs.3,279 crore as of December 31, 2025. Net worth rose to Rs.3,748 crore, while online collections accounted for 97 per cent of total receipts, underscoring strong cash discipline across operations, including subsidiaries.
In short, while Q3 showed signs of operating strain, the financial backbone remains solid. With zero gross debt, steady profits and a formidable cash war chest, the company enters the next quarter with flexibility firmly on its side proving that in uncertain markets, balance sheet strength can be the best growth strategy.
