News Broadcasting
Tarrant on TV hails Mudra’s anti smoking commercial
MUMBAI: Mudra Communications has won critical acclaim for its anti-smoking commercial Godfather.
London’s popular show Tarrant On TV has decided to telecast the commercial, ‘as it is a very good example of the power of advertising to highlight serious issues’. Tarrant on TV from the ITV Network in the UK celebrates the best of humorous commercials from around the world.
An official release says that the creative brains behind the commercial are the two Creative Directors of Mudra, Mumbai, Anup Chitnis and Rensil D’Silva who have previously worked on Channel [V]’s ‘Gheun Taak’.
Godfather centres around a hit man who enters a restaurant to kill a mafia don called Frankie The Fist. Frankie who has an unlit cigarette in his mouth, refuses to die no matter how many times he is shot. The point of the commercial is that by not lighting up a cigarette, a person can add valuable minutes to his or her life.
This is the first of a two-commercial campaign, says the release. The second spot is a Bollywood take-off featuring look-alikes of Rajesh Khanna and Shetty the villain, both of whom are in the middle of a fight. Rajesh decides that a cigarette would be more useful than a gun in killing Shetty.
Both these spots are Mudra’s in-house productions – written, directed and produced for Mudra by Anup and Rensil. The production design has been handled by UTV. The spots ran on music channel MTV as part of a public service campaign duringApril and May .
Tarrant on TV conducted by popular TV and radio host Chris Tarrant, celebrates the style and wit of advertising and looks at trends and idiosyncrasies of worldwide television. This is the programme’s 17th year on British TV.
News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Command Centre war explainer with Arya
New show shifts from debates to decoding global conflicts and impacts
MUMBAI: News18 India has rolled out a new war-focused programme, Command Centre, featuring Gaurav Arya, as it looks to offer viewers a sharper, more grounded take on global conflicts amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Positioned as an “insider war room”, the show moves away from conventional panel debates and instead focuses on explaining military developments, decoding strategy and connecting global events to their everyday impact, from fuel prices to economic shifts.
The format leans heavily on visuals and data. The studio has been designed like a command hub, complete with large LED war maps, real-time graphics and an alert system to track developments as they unfold.
At the centre of it all is Arya, who brings his military background to simplify complex war strategies for viewers. His signature line, “Seedhi baat samjhiye”, anchors the show’s promise of clarity over noise.
News18 India managing editor Jyoti Kamal said, “Command Centre, featuring Major Gaurav Arya is designed to deliver accurate insights and a clear perspective on how evolving conflicts impact everyday life, from household budgets to national security. With expert voices analysing every development in real time, the show goes beyond headlines to decode what’s happening now, what it means, and what could come next.”
Echoing the intent, Gaurav Arya added, “In times of war, confusion is the biggest threat. With News18 India’s Command Centre, we are bringing viewers inside the war room, decoding strategies, tracking every escalation, and explaining, in the simplest terms, what it means for India and for every household. Seedhi baat samjhiye, this is where you understand not just what is happening, but what happens next.”
The weekday show will air in the afternoon slot and will also feature Gaurav Shukla, adding to its editorial depth.
With its mix of analysis, visuals and a clear focus on impact, the show reflects a broader shift in news consumption. Viewers are no longer just watching events unfold, they are looking to understand what those events mean for them.
