iWorld
Toonsutra emerges as a Webtoon app, expanding with global publishers
Mumbai: Toonsutra, a homegrown webtoon comic app, announced today that in just a few months it has firmly established itself as the #1 comic app in India in both the Apple and Android stores. A position it has maintained for over two months with over a million downloads of the app already.
Toonsutra’s mission is to bring together a community of passionate fandom and pop culture, catering to the largest youth market in the world – India’s 700 million+ mobile youth market. It is the only premium webtoon comics app in the region dedicated to catering to Indian audiences with Hindi, Tamil and Telegu language content offerings.
The company has already locked up partnership deals with some of the biggest global publishers and creators to bring over 550 titles and 250,000 episodes of content into local Indian languages – the largest offering of premium, high-quality, webtoon comic content ever assembled for this market, in easy-to-read vertical scroll format optimized for mobile.
As the excitement for the global webtoon market continues to grow with the US$2.7 Billion IPO yesterday by Naver’s Webtoon Entertainment, the medium and fandom around these new storytelling comic platforms is finding new audiences and territories. The global webtoon market is projected to reach a staggering $60 Billion by 2030, making it one of the highest-growing new categories for media and content.
Toonsutra is founded by veteran media entrepreneurs, Sharad Devarajan who is the company’s executive chairman, and Vishal Anand, Toonsutra’s CEO.
Devarajan is also the founder/CEO of the leading Indian character entertainment company, Graphic India and brings over 25 years of comic and fandom experience, having created over 200 episodes of animation and 300 comics. He created Spider-Man India with Marvel; created and produced the #1 hit show, Baahubali: Crown of Blood, with SS Rajamouli; created and produced The Legend of Hanuman series with Disney+Hotstar which remains the #1 animated project in Indian history.
Anand is a serial digital media entrepreneur and was formerly CPO of Dailyhunt where he was part of the core initial team managing their product and tech teams to scale the business into one of India’s most successful media platforms (currently with over 300M users). Anand was also part of the product leadership team at Amazon Web Services.
“Toonsutra is not just an app, it’s a fandom community and a pop-culture movement. We’re bridging the gap between global storytelling and local audiences, creating a new language of entertainment that resonates with India’s digital-first generation. Our rapid growth shows that Indian audiences are hungry for the highest-quality, premium webtoon comic stories made available in their languages and easily snackable mobile short episodes” commented Toonsutra co-founder & chairman Sharad Devarajan.
“The initial success we are seeing for Toonsutra underscores a fundamental shift in content consumption patterns across the Indian youth. We’re not just riding the wave of digital transformation; we’re actively shaping it by combining cutting-edge technology with compelling storytelling. At Toonsutra we are creating an ecosystem where the biggest global creators and publishers can thrive by reaching entirely new regional language audiences, and Indian readers can discover new worlds with every scroll. Our mission goes beyond entertainment – we’re fostering a new era of creativity, community and creative expression in India,” added Toonsutra co-founder & CEO, Vishal Anand.
Toonsutra has become a trusted source by global partners for bringing their top content to Indian audiences with the highest quality webtoon formatting and translation, ensuring that Indian language audiences can experience the very best of the world’s comic storytelling. International partnerships include Valiant Comics, Webtoon Factory, Kenaz, Archie Comics, and Boom! Studios, Top Cow Productions, Liquid Comics, and numerous others.
In addition to award-winning and bestselling comics from global creators, Toonsutra also has exclusive webtoon comics available based on some of the biggest Indian franchises, including the film sensation, Baahubali; and the hit streaming series, The Legend of Hanuman, and hundreds of Indian episodes from leading Indian comic publisher Graphic India.
Toonsutra is also backed by a leading group of investors including the Sony Innovation Fund; Maiora Capital, Kun Gao (co-founder, Crunchyroll); Jeremy Liew (partner, Lightspeed); Kevin Lin (co-founder, Twitch); Patrick Lee (co-founder, Rotten Tomatoes); Holly Lui (co-founder, Kabam); Benjamin Grubbs (co-founder, CreatorPlus); Steve Chung (fmr. CEO of Americas, CJENM); and others.
To learn more about Toonsutra and its exciting features, visit www.toonsutra.com
The Toonsutra app is free to download on Android and iOS devices.
e-commerce
ITC Sunfeast, Zepto host mango-themed experiential ‘Paglu Party’
Event blends Alphonso desserts, DIY sessions and interactive formats
MUMBAI: When mango season peaks, some savour it others go full ‘paglu’. ITC Sunfeast Baked Creations, in collaboration with Zepto, turned summer indulgence into an immersive brand experience with its ‘Mango Paglu Party’, a high-energy, mango-themed event designed to blur the line between dessert and discovery. Built around the brand’s ‘Mad Over Mangoes’ universe, the space leaned into a sensory overload bright, playful and unapologetically mango-drenched. From curated installations to social-first corners, every element was designed to be as shareable as it was experiential.
At the centre of the celebration was the fruit itself, elevated into a menu crafted using fresh, carbide-free Alphonso mangoes sourced by Zepto. The spread ranged from a flaky Mango Pista Kouign Aman to Mango Coconut Serradura Pudding and a Mango Mascarpone Cake, balancing indulgence with seasonal freshness.
But this was not a passive tasting affair. Guests were drawn into the experience through interactive formats, including a DIY dessert session led by the brand’s chef, where attendees created classics like Mango Tres Leches. Zepto chief business officer Chandan Mehndiratta also joined the session, adding a touch of brand personality to the proceedings.
A quirky highlight came in the form of the ‘Aam Paglu Prescription’, a playful, doctor-themed concept that positioned mango indulgence as the only “treatment” worth taking, turning a simple insight into a memorable activation.
The event built up to a theatrical finale, with the crowning of the ‘Aam Paglu of the Day’ followed by the cutting of an oversized mango-shaped Mango Mascarpone Cake, closing the experience on a high note.
More than just a seasonal showcase, the Mango Paglu Party reflects a broader shift in brand storytelling, where products are no longer just consumed, but experienced. For ITC Sunfeast Baked Creations and Zepto, mango season was not just about flavour, it was about creating a moment that audiences could step into, engage with and, quite literally, devour.
