iWorld
Stories from the heartland go global
MUMBAI: Stories that stay rooted, yet take flight, that’s the new India calling. At FICCI Frames 2025, a star-studded panel on “Local Roots, Global Reach: Indian Storytelling from the Heartland” turned into a masterclass on why stories told with heart are now travelling the farthest.
Moderated by broadcast journalist Anuradha Sengupta, the session featured The Viral Fever president Vijay Koshy, actors Neena Gupta, Pratik Gandhi, Faisal Malik, and Vineet Kumar Singh, voices that have lived and shaped India’s storytelling renaissance.
“Anything that comes from the heart will touch the heart,” said Neena Gupta, drawing applause as she spoke of how authenticity, not algorithms, drives real connection.
Pratik Gandhi reflected on his own journey after Scam 1992, “Stories can come from anywhere, but emotions are universal,” he added, noting how success opened creative doors rather than data dashboards.
Vijay Koshy traced this evolution from Youtube freedom to OTT patronage. “We learnt the hard way in the digital world. Platforms are the new patrons, much like kings once funded artists,” he said, recalling how Panchayat, a show rejected by many, went on to become a cultural phenomenon precisely because “nothing was happening” in it.
For Vineet Kumar Singh, heartland tales are India’s timeless truth. “Whether it’s Mother India or Panchayat, every story that mirrors real life finds its way to people’s hearts,” he said, reflecting on how viewers discover themselves in the stories of small towns and forgotten bylanes.
Neena Gupta, ever candid, summed it up, “I think we should always try to go to the resources you have,” underlining how creators can draw on their own experiences and surroundings to tell authentic stories.
The discussion also delved into the shifting sands of streaming. Sengupta reminded the panel that subscription models are giving way to ad-led formats. Koshy, however, remained optimistic. “We are not afraid. Authenticity will always survive,” he said with quiet conviction.
As the session wrapped, Vineet shared a moving anecdote about Supermen of Malegaon, a small-town film that won hearts globally. “When it ended at the Toronto International Film Festival, the applause didn’t stop. That’s the power of stories from our soil,” he smiled.
From villages to viral screens, India’s storytellers seem to have found their sweet spot: telling tales that are homegrown, heartfelt, and now, truly world-bound.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
