Movies
Seagram’s Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films presents Select Films, Select Conversations
Mumbai: A pioneer in the short film format in India, Seagram’s Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films presents Select Films, Select Conversations. The celebrated short film platform has always recognised and fostered a creative environment encouraging brilliance in short-format filmmaking. Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films over the years has won six Filmfare awards and Oscar qualifications which has made the platform the largest and most credible destination for short films in India. Through this interactive activation platform, the brand aims to foster a creative environment for artists in the industry in two unique and engaging formats with host Mandira Bedi.
● The On-Ground format: This live format travels to three hubs in India – Gurugram, Kolkata and Pune – bringing together some of the most dynamic and discerning film artistes from Indian cinema for an evening of engaging discussions, interactive conversations, and screenings of some of the select movies from the celebrated short film platform, Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films
● The On-Air format: A unique chat show concept spread across three episodes, where five prominent voices from the film industry – Jim Sarbh, Vijay Verma, Kalki Koechlin, Huma Qureshi and Sujoy Ghosh – discuss all things cinema with host Mandira Bedi. The On-air Episodes will be launched with the brand’s streaming partners, Jio Cinema
The first of three on-ground events took place at DLF Club, Phase IV, Gurugram on Saturday, November 25. During the evening, host Mandira Bedi held an engaging conversation with Vijay Varma, Huma Qureshi, Kalki Koechlin and Swanand Kirkire. ‘Short Films – The Select Choice’ being the theme of the evening, the discussions revolved around the evolution of Indian cinema, diversity of genres and the short film format. It covered the evolution of the cinematic landscape from full length Feature films to Short Films, OTT and Anthologies. The conversation received immense engagement from the audience present at the event. This was followed by the screening of select Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films.
Commenting on the ideology behind the activation platform, Pernod Ricard India CMO Kartik Mohindra said, “Through the years, Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has evolved, creating an ecosystem that brings world class storytelling to curious and discerning audiences, thus becoming ‘the’ destination for Indian short films. Select Films, Select Conversations, the brand’s interactive platform, is an embodiment of this ideology, where we seek to explore the originality and creativity of the short film format and set it in the context of cinema today.”
Speaking about her association with the platform as the host, actress Mandira Bedi said, “I am thrilled to be associated with Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films. Getting to interact with different storytellers, artistes and understanding their diverse perspectives on cinema is a wonderful opportunity. I’m looking forward to all the riveting conversations, behind-the-scenes stories about the short film universe and the interactions with #TheSelectOnes.”
Actor Vijay Varma said, “It really feels nice to be a part of this unique platform provided by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films. Any opportunity that brings together artists and stirs up conversations around cinema is precious to me. It’s a great learning experience.”
Lyricist and actor Swanand Kirkire spoke about the platform, sharing, “The Indian film industry has evolved tremendously since the time I started my career. There are so many different kinds of films being made and appreciated today. When it comes to short films, Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has been a real gamechanger. The platform brings out the brilliance of short films like nothing else. I am happy to be associated with them in their endeavor to foster a creative environment for artists in this industry.”
Actor Huma Qureshi said, “I am so happy to see Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films curate an evening where select artistes and storytellers known for their craft come together under one roof and talk all things cinema. From discussing different genres to personal processes, it is absolutely amazing to be a part of this. I look forward to more such opportunities in the future!”
Actor Kalki Koechlin shared, “With the changing content consumption patterns in today’s world, it’s an exciting time for cinema in India. I feel it is a transformational time for our industry and it is platforms like these that bring about the positive shift. I am delighted to have the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of cinema thanks to Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films.”
After successfully kicking off in Gurugram, Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films is set to travel to Kolkata and Pune in December 2023. This will be followed by the release of on-air episodes.
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.
