The Media Room

From Coldplay to Lollapalooza, can India’s concert boom become a lasting business? In this episode of The Media Room from The Core, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Naman Pugalia, Chief Business Officer for Live Events at BookMyShow, about India’s concert economy, the growth of live entertainment and the investment needed to bring global artists to Indian audiences. The conversation explores Boo...

Can AI save the news business? INMA CEO Earl J. Wilkinson joins Vanita Kohli-Khandekar on The Media Room to discuss AI in journalism, digital subscriptions and why getting readers to pay remains a challenge for Indian news publishers. When news is available everywhere, what makes journalism worth paying for? And can artificial intelligence help publishers build a sustainable business? In this epis...

Why do new writers struggle to break into Bollywood despite the industry’s constant search for original stories? Viraf Patell joins Vanita Kohli-Khandekar to examine the barriers separating aspiring screenwriters from Bollywood producers and decision-makers. In this episode of The Media Room, Viraf explains how limited access, an oversupply of writing talent and a shortage of serious buyers make b...

Sony India is betting on television, SonyLIV, KBC, streaming and sports to drive its next phase of growth. Gaurav Banerjee, Managing Director and CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India, explains why he believes Indian TV is far from dead and how Sony plans to compete for audiences across screens. In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Gaurav Banerjee about Sony India’s...

Victoria Oakley explains how technology, AI copyright and streaming fraud are reshaping the business of music and changing how artists create, distribute and earn. Streaming has transformed the global music industry. Listeners can discover songs from almost anywhere, artists can reach fans across borders and record labels can build new revenue streams through subscriptions, digital distribution, o...

Are Indian films the next big alternative investment? In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Sidharth Jain, founder of Film Money Global, and Rohit Dalmia, founder of CineNow, about how new film funds are trying to turn Indian films into a structured investment opportunity for institutional investors, hedge funds, HNIs, and global capital. The conversation explores t...

Imtiaz Ali on Cinema’s Comeback and Bollywood’s Future, in this episode of The Media Room by The Core, is a conversation about why audiences are returning to theatres, why storytelling still wins, and what Bollywood’s next chapter could look like. Speaking with Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali reflects on the unexpected success of Main Wapas Aunga, the film’s box office turnaround, and...

Roshan Abbas on live events, AI and the creator economy is a sharp conversation on how India’s media business, entertainment industry and creative economy are changing as artificial intelligence, digital creators and live experiences reshape what audiences value. In this episode of The Media Room by The Core, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Roshan Abbas about India’s live events industry, the f...

Ajay Bijli on India’s cinema boom and PVR INOX growth takes us inside the turnaround of India’s largest multiplex chain, as PVR INOX bets on movie theatres, small-town India, affordable cinema, and the future of the big screen experience. In this episode of The Media Room by The Core, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Ajay Bijli, Managing Director of PVR INOX, about how the company moved from los...

Sameer Nair’s journey from KBC to Scam 1992 is the story of how Indian entertainment, Indian TV and India’s OTT streaming business changed forever. In this #Rewind episode of The Media Room by The Core, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar revisits a powerful conversation with the media leader who helped shape Kaun Banega Crorepati, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Star India, Applause Entertainment and some of...

Streaming Meets Advertising Netflix ad tiers OTT bundling and SVOD monetisation are reshaping the global streaming industry and redefining how platforms like Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max grow in a slowing subscription market. In this episode of The Media Room by The Core, host Vanita Kohli Khandekar speaks with Tony Gunnarsson - Senior Principal Analyst Online Video, Omdia, a gl...

In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Nikkhil Advani, filmmaker and founder of Emmay Entertainment, for a wide-ranging conversation on storytelling, stardom, and the shifting economics of the Indian film industry. Nikkhil reflects on his journey from films like Kal Ho Naa Ho to building a content studio that has delivered projects such as Rocket Boys, Mumbai Diaries...

In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Vinit Karnik, Head of Entertainment & Sports at WPP Media, for a deep dive into the economics of India’s fast-growing sports ecosystem. Vinit unpacks key insights from WPP’s Sporting Nation report, including India’s sports sponsorship economy crossing the ₹2 billion mark and the overwhelming dominance of cricket, which accou...

In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Ashish Pherwani, Head of Media & Entertainment at EY, for a deep dive into the latest FICCI-EY report and what it reveals about the state of India’s media and entertainment industry. Ashish breaks down the key trends shaping the sector, from the industry crossing ₹2.7 trillion to digital media emerging as the first segment t...

In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Toshit Panigrahi, CEO - Co-Founder of Tollbit, for a deep dive into how AI is reshaping the economics of digital publishing and content monetisation. Toshit explains how large language models and AI platforms are changing the way content is accessed, distributed and consumed - often without directly compensating the publishers w...

In this episode of The Media Room, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Monika Shergill, VP - Content at Netflix India, for a deep dive into the strategy, data, and creative thinking behind one of the world’s biggest streaming platforms. Monika discusses key insights unveiled at Netflix’s Next on Netflix showcase, revealing how the platform is thinking about its upcoming slate, genre mix, and audien...

In this episode of The Media Room , host Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with film historian, author and documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir about her lifelong journey documenting, curating and championing Hindi cinema for global audiences. From introducing British viewers to Indian films through her landmark Channel 4 series Movie Mahal to serving on the board of the British Film Institute, N...

In this episode of The Media Room , host Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Vishnu Mohta, Co-founder of Hoichoi and Executive Director at SVF Entertainment, about building one of India’s most successful regional OTT platforms. The conversation traces Hoichoi’s journey as a Bengali-only streaming service and how a deep focus on one language and audience has enabled sustainable, profitable growth. T...

In this episode of The Media Room , host Vanita Kohli-Kandekar sits down with Shailesh Kapoor, Founder and CEO of Ormax Media, to decode what the numbers really say about Indian cinema in 2025. Drawing from the Ormax Box Office Report, the conversation unpacks a landmark year that saw the domestic box office cross ₹13,000 crore for the first time ever, alongside a sharp resurgence of Hindi cinema...

In this episode of The Media Room, host Vanita Kohli-Khandekar sits down with Yaminie Patodia, Head of IMDb India, to unpack how one of the world’s most influential entertainment databases sees Indian cinema, fandom and stardom. From IMDb’s journey as a 1990s passion project to a platform with over 14 million titles and 12 million names, Yaminie explains how IMDb acts as the “connective tissue” be...

In this episode of The Media Room, host Vanita Kohli-Khandekar sits down with filmmaker Ram Madhvani (Neerja, Aarya, Equinox Virtual) and producer Vikram Malhotra (Abundantia Entertainment – Airlift, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Shakuntala Devi; aiON AI studio) to explore how artificial intelligence, VR and data are reshaping Indian cinema and the business of content. From Ram’s vision of “making your t...

In this episode of The Media Room , Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with Vivek Couto, Executive Director of Media Partners Asia, about the rise of microdramas — the two-minute serials that have become a $8 billion global phenomenon. Couto breaks down how China built the world’s largest microdrama market, with 830 million viewers and an ecosystem tightly woven across tech, payments, and storytelling....

In this episode of The Media Room , Vanita Kohli-Khandekar sits down with Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause Entertainment and one of India’s most influential media executives. From shaping Indian television in the 2000s with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kaun Banega Crorepati , to leading India’s streaming revolution with Scam 1992 , Tanaav , and Gandhi , Nair reflects on three decades of transfor...

In this episode of The Media Room, media journalist and author Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks with B. Srinivasan, Managing Director of Vikatan Group, about how one of India’s oldest and most beloved media brands continues to reinvent itself after more than a century. Srinivasan reflects on Vikatan’s evolution from its print legacy to television, digital platforms, and new ventures in events, wealth...

In this episode of The Media Room , media journalist and author Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks to Tusharr Kumar, CEO and Director of Only Much Louder (OML), one of India’s most influential media and entertainment companies. Once known as an indie music promoter, OML has shapeshifted into a multi-pronged business spanning talent management, branded content agencies, and long-form content production....