Matt and Ross Duffer were 31 years old. Twin brothers from North Carolina. Two struggling screenwriters got rejected 15 times. Their show generated over $1 billion a year for Netflix.

Graduated from Chapman film school in 2007. Moved to Los Angeles with nothing. Spent years writing scripts nobody wanted.

Made one indie horror film called “Hidden” that went straight to VOD. Hardly anybody watched it. Worked on a show called “Wayward Pines” that got canceled. Did punch-up work on scripts. Took whatever paid.

For nearly a decade, they were the guys who almost made it. Almost sold the pitch. Almost got the greenlight.

Then in 2013, they wrote a show called “Montauk.” Kids in the 1980s. Psychic powers. Secret government experiments. Monsters from another dimension. Everyone said it was career suicide.

“Spielberg already did the kids-on-bikes thing in the 80s. E.T. and The Goonies owned that.”

“Streaming audiences want prestige dramas, not children’s horror shows.”

“You’re asking for $6 million per episode to cast unknown children. That’s insane.”

“The 80s nostalgia moment already passed.”

“This is too weird for mainstream audiences.”

They didn’t listen. So they kept pitching. Started in 2013. Took the script everywhere. HBO passed. Didn’t fit their brand. AMC passed. Too expensive. NBC passed. Too violent for network TV. Fox passed. Wanted to own the IP. The Duffers refused. Showtime, FX, TNT, History Channel, WGN America all said no. CBS passed. Said kids can’t carry an hour-long drama. Fifteen networks and streaming services. Fifteen rejections. Two years of hearing no.

Most writers would have shelved it. Moved on. Written something safer.

The Duffers were broke. Living in a tiny apartment. Taking whatever writing work paid rent. But they believed in those kids. Believed in the monsters. Believed people were desperate for something strange.

In April 2015, they pitched Netflix. Netflix had just launched original programming. Looking for their next big swing after House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. The meeting lasted 20 minutes. Netflix Vice President Cindy Holland greenlit it on the spot. Eight episodes. $6 million per episode budget.

But here’s what nobody talks about.

The Duffers had never run a TV show before. Never managed a big budget. Never directed at this scale. Netflix gave them complete creative control anyway. That much freedom usually destroys first-time showrunners.

They cast four unknown kids. Winona Ryder, who hadn’t starred in anything major since 2002. David Harbour, a character actor nobody knew. Shot it in Atlanta to keep costs down.

The Duffers wrote all eight episodes themselves. Directed four of them. Fought Netflix on every detail executives wanted to change. Netflix wanted to age up the characters to teenagers. The Duffers said no. Kids on bikes or nothing. Netflix wanted more action sequences. The Duffers insisted on slow-burn tension. Netflix wanted to cut the budget on the monster design. The Duffers fought for practical effects over cheap CGI. Every decision was a battle. Every choice was a risk.

July 15, 2016. Stranger Things Season One dropped on Netflix. No marketing budget. No promotional tour. Just eight episodes released at midnight.

Week one: decent reviews. Some social media buzz.

Week two: word of mouth exploded.

Within three weeks, Stranger Things was the most-watched Netflix original series ever made at that time.

Barb became a cultural phenomenon. “Upside Down” entered everyday vocabulary. Kids dressed as Eleven for Halloween before Halloween even arrived. Eggo waffle sales spiked 14% in the quarter after release. First increase in five years.

But the Duffers kept pushing.

Season two, 2017. 427 million hours viewed in the first month.

Season three, 2019. Broke every Netflix viewing record. The mall set alone cost $8 million to build.

Season four, 2022. $30 million per episode. More than most Hollywood blockbusters.

140.7 million hours viewed in the first three days.

Episode four used a Kate Bush song from 1985. “Running Up That Hill.” Within two days, it was number one on iTunes. Globally. Kate Bush was 63. The song was 37 years old. The season four finale got 301 million viewing hours in its first 28 days.

Then came the final season. Netflix bet everything. $480 million production budget $60 million per episode, up 10 times from the first season.

The 2023 Hollywood strikes delayed filming by seven months. The cast aged up. Writers had to add a time jump. Most showrunners would have cracked under that pressure. The Duffers used it. Made the aging part of the story.

They released Season Five as a three-part event.

Volume One: Thanksgiving 2025. Four episodes.

Volume Two: Christmas Day 2025. Three episodes.

The series finale: New Year’s Eve 2025. Two hours and eight minutes. Called “The Rightside Up.”

28.7 million hours viewed in the first three days. 141 million hours in the first week. Biggest debut week for an English-language series in Netflix history. 102.6 million global viewings in the first 28 days. Just Volume One.

Then the finale dropped on New Year’s Eve.

#StrangerThings5 trended number one on Twitter for 72 consecutive hours.

5.75 billion earned social impressions. Diana Ross’s “Upside Down” spiked 1,250% on Spotify overnight. Nike released Stranger Things Dunks. Sold out in four minutes. Chips Ahoy generated 11 billion impressions from their themed campaign.

Season Five drove over 2 million new Netflix subscriptions in Q4 2025 alone. For the first time in Netflix history, all five seasons of one show occupied the Global Top 10 simultaneously. The show hit number one in 90 countries.

Today, Stranger Things has generated over 1.2 billion total views across all five seasons. Analysts estimate the franchise has created over $1.4 billion in total value for Netflix.

The Duffer Brothers signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Paramount in August 2025 – $50 to $70 million each.

All because two broke twin brothers who couldn’t sell a script for ten years refused to believe that 15 rejections meant their weird idea was wrong. They turned Hollywood’s fear of risky into 1.2 billion views and a cultural phenomenon that ended on the biggest night of the year.

They proved that the networks who passed weren’t wrong about the show. They were wrong about what audiences were starving for. They fought Netflix on every creative decision executives wanted to change.

Because they understood something most people don’t – The thing everyone calls too weird is often the exact thing nobody else is making. Your rejections aren’t proof you’re wrong. It’s proof you’re making something original. Stop listening to people who think safe and proven is the only path to success. Sometimes the billion-dollar shows come from the scripts everyone called too risky.

So, don’t quit. 💪🏼

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P.S.: this post has been put together from multiple posts, articles and interviews about Stranger Things on sm.

P.P.S.: Here’s the original pitch deck they had prepared for Montauk – the one that she pitched to Netflix which was greenlit by Cindy Holland.

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There exist 3 bodies (or manifestations of a human being’s existence), not just one.

Sthula sharira – the physical body
Made of the five elements. It is born… it grows… it decays… and it returns to the elements.
This is what the world calls death.

Sukshma sharira – the subtle body
Carries prana, mind, senses, dreams, vasanas, and karma. Does not die with the physical body.

Sukshma sharira is identified with antakarana and it’s four sub-divisions, mana (mind), buddhi (intellect), ahankara (ego, sense of individuality) and chitta (remembering/memory).

It travels beyond the Sthula Sharira and can be reborn.

Karana sharira – the causal body
The seed state of ignorance / the stem cell of humanity. It seeks the ‘why’.

‘Karana’ means ‘cause’. This body does not die until moksha.

It is the unmanifested condition, which is neither sat, nor asat. It is unborn. It is not created due to sat karmas.

It is of the nature of avidya or agyana (ignorance) and is the cause of the Sthula and Sukshma sharira.

In other words, it is due to ignorance of one’s true nature that one takes rebirth and is trapped in the cycle of birth and death. In order to enjoy or suffer the merits of karma and to get a chance to know one’s true nature, Sthula and Sukshma shariras are created. After Self Realisation, there is no rebirth and there is no cause of creating Sthula and Sukshma sharira.

All these 3 bodies are enveloped within the Atman – the self.

It is never born… never modified… never destroyed. It is universal.

Moksha (Liberation) is not taking the subtle body to a higher world. It is freedom from identification with all three bodies and being in an Atman state of existence.

What appears as life and death is only the movement of the bodies. the Self remains untouched.

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On the 129th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth, let’s celebrate & marvel at Bose!!!

A man goes from Calcutta to Afghanistan to Russia to Germany. Pretty much alone. Makes the famed British ‘intelligence’ look like jokers.

Raises an army in Germany. Travels to Singapore over a 3-month journey, first in a German submarine, transferring somewhere near the southern tip of Africa into a Japanese submarine. Builds up the INA. Takes it to 60,000 strong. Raises funds of many many lakhs.

Takes the Andaman Islands. Raises the Azad Hind Government’s flag there. Sets up the framework of the Azad Hind Government. Sets up a Azad Hind Currency & a Azad Hind Bank. Issues the Azad Hind government’s first sovereign bonds. Issues stamps. Creates a Azad Hind Government’s Worker’s league. Secures official diplomatic recognition of India’s first Independent government from over a dozen countries. Officially declares war on the British.

Moves toward Delhi to uproot the British. Loses 30,000 soldiers in battle. Never surrenders. Goes underground to build another army.

While underground, manoeuvres the messaging using the badly biased and unfair INA trial, to engineer multiple mini-mutinies among the British-Indian armed forces, just at the time when World War II is affecting the British the most. Has a large role to play in crippling the British Empire in India.

As has been observed in many of the writings and official cables of the Empire, the big fear that Bose will be back with a massive, rejuvenated INA was one of the primary reasons for the British to agree to leave India.

BOSE – What a leader!

Without doubt, One of India’s greatest freedom fighters!!!

Here are some less-seen images / pics of & about Netaji…

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As 2025 ended, India’s video games industry stood resilient amid turbulence, boasting a massive user base and ambitious growth trajectory despite a seismic regulatory shock. With approximately 517-600 million gamers – over 90% of which are mobile-first, the sector’s market size hovers around USD 4.38 billion this year.

Online gaming revenues had remained largely flat in 2024 due to GST hikes but are rebounding in 2025 at a projected 10.8% CAGR, fuelled by cheap data, 5G rollout, and varied content.

The October real-money gaming (RMG) ban, enacted via the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, triggered mass layoffs and shutdowns at giants like Dream11, WinZO, MPL, and Gameskraft, erasing over $840 million in assets and displacing thousands. Yet, from these ashes rises a pivot to sustainable models: esports, casual games, and skill-based titles, backed by state policies and global investments.

A Turbulent Yet Transformative 2025

India’s gaming ecosystem, the world’s second-largest by users, grappled with RMG’s fallout, which once dominated 50-83% of revenues (INR 16,000 crore in 2023). The ban, challenged in courts with hearings delayed to January 2026, stemmed from anti-gambling concerns but distinguished “real games” from betting, legitimizing esports at events like Khelo India 2025.

Casual and esports segments grew 20% and 5% respectively in 2024, with esports seeing 2 million tournament participants, 36 pro teams, and 7,400 broadcast hours.
Mobile reigned supreme (55.88% share), with 8.45 billion downloads in 2024, led by battle-royale (BGMI’s return boosted engagement) and hyper-casual genres.
In-app purchases (41% revenue) and ads thrived via UPI micro-transactions.
Indies and mid-core titles gained traction, with studios like Nodwin and global backers (Krafton, Bitkraft) funding early-stage ventures led by ex-RMG talent.
PC/console niches expanded modestly, supported by esports infrastructure.

Government momentum accelerated via AVGC-XR (Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics, XR) policies.
Maharashtra’s 2025 policy targets Rs 65,000 crore sector value (25% national share), Rs 50,000 crore investments, and 500,000 jobs through incentives for IP, exports, parks, and skilling in Mumbai-Pune hubs.
Karnataka and others followed, positioning India as a “gaming back-office” exporter ($3.75B annually by 2028).

Dominant Trends Reshaping Play

Mobile-First Explosion: 560M+ smartphones and 5G (980M subs by 2030) drive vernacular hits, with female gamers rising at 15.8% CAGR.

Esports Ascendancy: From INR 67 crore (2023) to INR 179 crore by 2028 (21.8% CAGR), fueled by corporate leagues and non-metro traction.

Cloud and Emerging Tech: 5G enables low-latency streaming; cloud gaming to double by 2027.

Resilience: Small teams thrive amid franchise fatigue, though publishing gaps persist.

Challenges linger: illegal offshore apps siphon users, high acquisition costs stifle devs, and RMG’s 28% GST lingers as a cautionary tale.

Outlook for 2026-2028

Explosive Rebound
Gamers could hit 724M by 2028 December.
Projections paint a bullish picture, with the market doubling to USD 8.74B by 2030 (14.8% CAGR) or INR 39,583 crore for online/esports by 2028 (19.2% CAGR).
Lumikai forecasts $9.2B by 2029, driven by in-app purchases and casual/social gaming (INR 36,600 crore by 2028).

Watch out For
Cloud/subscription surges (25% CAGR), global acquisitions of Indian studios, esports mainstreaming (to $120M by 2030), and AI/XR integrations via AVGC hubs.
Exports and job creation (30L direct by 2030) will amplify via policies.

In Conclusion
2025 tested India’s gaming sector’s mettle, purging RMG excesses while catalysing a “real games” renaissance. With 20% of global gamers but just 1% revenue, the next 2-3 years beckon a $7-9B powerhouse – blending mobile might, esports energy, and policy propulsion. Stakeholders eyeing sustainable IP, cloud innovation, and global tie-ups will lead this charge.

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2 days ago, we noted the 265th anniversary of the sad day that was a watershed day in India’s history, which led to India’s colonisation by the British.

On 14th Jan 1761, the third battle of Panipat was fought between the Marathas led by Sadashiv Rao Bhau and a coalition of the Afghan ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali supported by Najibuddaulah, the Rohilla chiefs Hafiz Rehmat and Dunde Khan and the Nawab of Awadh Shujauddaulah, was arguably the largest battle fought anywhere in the world in the 18th century, where about 1,00,000 brave Marathas died defending their country.

The roots of the battle can be traced to the rise of the Maratha Empire. By 1755, the Marathas were the dominant power of the sub-continent. Its influence encompassed the Deccan, most of Northern India and even Calcutta. In 1759, a Maratha expeditionary force had reached Kandahar in Afghanistan and they had established garrisons in the major cities of Punjab.

The rise of the Marathas was viewed with anger by the Muslim rulers of North India. Led by Najib-ud-Daulah of Rohilkhand (modern day Western UP) and Siraj-ud- Daulah of Awadh, they invited Ahmad Shah Abdali to wage ‘jehad’ against the Marathas. The call was sweetened by a purse of Rs 2 Crores and after his initial hesitations, Abdali decided to come to India to contest the Marathas.

Abdali entered India through the Khyber Pass in January 1760. His armies brushed aside the Maratha garrisons in Punjab and forced them to withdraw. He then moved his armies to Anoop Shahr (around 70 kilometers east of Delhi near Saharanpur), in the kingdom of his ally Najib- ud- Daulah, and camped there awaiting the Marathas.

The arrival of Abdali and the defeat of their garrisons had worried the Marathas and in March 1760, Peshwa Nanasaheb, decided to send a large expeditionary force under his most capable general – Sadashiv Rao Bhau – and his own son, the 17 year old Vishwas Rao to contest Abdali.

The Maratha army left Udgir on 07 March 1760, with around 40,000 cavalry, 15,000 troopers and around 200 pieces of artillery. It was joined along its advance by forces from the Holkars of Indore and the Scindias of Gwalior. Yet in spite of its size, it was ill-equipped and lacked administrative support. The army was told to live off the land as it advanced, a strategy that led to looting and pillaging of the countryside over which it advanced and earned it much antagonism in its northwards move. The army was also encumbered by the presence of around 15-20k ladies and children and camp followers, which slowed the advance of the army as it moved slowly over three months before it reached Delhi on 21 July.

The Marathas captured Delhi easily and ransacked it, camping there for over three months. The army of Abdali and his allies were in Meerut – Saharanpur, the two armies separated by the Yamuna River. Though patrols and skirmishes were frequent no major clash of arms took place as yet.

The Lead Up to the Big Battle

Then at the end of October Sadashiv Bhau led his army out of Delhi and moved towards Kunjpura, a fortress on the west bank of the Yamuna which was a major supply hub of Abdali. Kunjpura was strongly held with over 10,000 Afghans but was captured in just two nights after an intense attack using artillery and cavalry in close coordination. Abdali and his army were on the opposite bank of the river and though Abdali could see and hear the plight of his men, he was unable to cross the flooded Yamuna river to aid them.

Kunjpura fell on 18 October and was the last major success of the Marathas. They now had access to Abdali’s supplies and better still was in a position to block his return to Afghanistan. Bolstered by this success, the Marathas moved further towards Kurukshetra hoping to block Abdali’s return route completely. Then Abdali launched his masterstroke. On a rain-swept night on 25 October, he crossed the swollen Yamuna River. Even though over 200 soldiers were swept away, his entire army got across over two nights completely taking the Marathas by surprise. The tables were now turned. Abdali was now behind the Marathas and had cut off from their route back to Delhi and the Deccan.

With their escape routes blocked, the Marathas established a camp in the vicinity of Panipat. For three months, the Marathas remained besieged within their camp. Disease and starvation was rampant as they were cut off from their supplies. Skirmishes took place almost on a daily basis causing heavy casualties on both sides. Worse, winter was setting in and the Marathas were ill-equipped and unprepared for the North Indian winters.

With their strength weakening, Sadashiv Bhau called for a meeting of his Chiefs on 12 Jan and the War Assembly decided that rather than remain besieged, they would make one concerted attack to break through the Afghan positions and make their way back to Delhi and thence the Deccan. Ceremonial paan was served as a gesture of farewell, the Quartermaster was ordered to distribute the remaining food amongst the troops and the chieftains went to prepare their men for battle. The die was cast for the most decisive battle in India’s history.

The details of the war…

At dawn on 14 January 1761, the Maratha army moved out of its camp to the sound of conches and ranbakuras. Around three to four kilometers opposite them, the Afghans had arrayed in battle formation with a force of around 60,000 cavalry, infantry and artillery. Yet more than the numerical superiority of over 20,000 which the Afghans enjoyed, what made the difference was that Abdali’s army was a well-knit, cohesive force with the disparate chiefs held together by the iron personality of Ahmad Shah Abdali. On the other side, the Marathas were riven by dissension, with their chiefs often at loggerheads with each other. The divisions would come to the fore as the battle progressed.

The Marathas attacked first from their left flank – an attack led by Ibrahim Khan Gardi, a Muslim chief who would be one of the heroes of the battle. It was an ordered, disciplined attack with nine battalions, with one moving forward as the other gave fire support. The attack made slow, but gradual progress, and inflicted heavy casualties on the Afghan right flank opposing them. Then the Marathas made their first mistake.

As per the plan, Gardi’s musketeers were to establish a foothold in the Afghan lines and then the Maratha cavalry was to attack from the flank. Yet even as Gardi’s troopers were inching forward, the Cavalry attacked pre-maturely moving ahead of Gardi’s infantry and preventing them from firing. The cavalry assault which should have given a decisive edge in the initial stage of the battle petered out, but in spite of that, a breach was made in the Afghan right flank by around noon.

Simultaneously with the attack of his left flank, Sadashiv Rao Bhau had launched the main attack with around 20,000 crack troops – the Huzarat – directed at the Afghan center. He led the attack himself and its sheer force and momentum tore through the Afghan center causing them to break in disarray.

Around midday, the Marathas were well poised. They had broken through the right flank and the Center. Their right flank, under Holkar and Scindia, were to have attacked after the Afghan lines were breached, but inexplicably they did not move. They remained static even though Sadashiv Bhau sent a personal message to Holkar. The reluctance of their right flank to attack cost the Marathas dear. It gave time for Abdali to position his military police to round up all who were fleeing the battle and send them back to the front lines (with a few summary executions of those who refused). He also sent around 10,000 of his reserves to reinforce the crumbling lines. By around 2 pm the Afghan lines were steadied and any hope of a Maratha breakthrough vanished.

The Maratha attack petered out and Abdali launched a counter stroke from his own left flank behind the Marathas. His cavalry and ‘Zamburaks’ – camel mounted swivel guns poured a relentless stream of fire on the Marathas, who were gradually being compressed in a tight knot ahead of the Afghan positions. Afghan bullets took a deadly toll on the bunched Maratha infantry and one of the bullets hit Vishwas Rao, the Peshwa’s son on the head killing him instantly.

The death of Vishwas Rao turned the battle dramatically. Seeing him fall, the troops lost heart. Sadashiv Bhau himself dismounted from his elephant to come to see Vishwas and without his rallying presence, the Marathas troops panicked and began fleeing the battlefield. In the unruly chaos that followed, Abdali launched another attack with the rest of his reserves that swung in from the rear and sides of the beleaguered Marathas.

What followed was a slaughter. Weakened after the day-long fighting they were cut to pieces as the Afghan cavalry tore into them and bullets rained upon them. Their right flank under Holkar and Scindia took no part in the fighting and melted away from the battlefield, moving to Delhi and then their home bases. For the rest, it was carnage, as they battled desperately in isolated pockets. Over 30-40,000 Maratha soldiers fell that day alone (another 20,000 had been lost in the skirmishes of the preceding months). The vengeful Afghans who had lost around 30,000 of their own, ran amok in the Maratha camp, slaughtered the menfolk and took the women and children as slaves. That night, the moon was full and the fleeing Marathas were chased and cut down in the open fields around Panipat. An estimated 60-70,000 lives were lost in that one day which has often been called ‘The Bloodiest Day of the 18th Century”.

The aftermath of the war…

Of the estimated force of 70- 80,000 that set out, only around 15,000 or so succeeded in making their way back to the Deccan. Abdali left back for Afghanistan soon after the battle, receiving hefty compensation from the Muslim rulers.

Nanasaheb Peshwa died of shock after the disaster and Maratha power waned rapidly. Abdali never returned to India but the Marathas were back in Delhi by 1771, and continued to defend the capital until 1803 when it was lost to the East India Company. That said, they never recovered to even a third of their might which existed before the 3rd battle of Panipat. Its decline set the stage for Imperial rule in India. Devoid of any major challenger, the British consolidated their position and established British rule in India that would last 200 years. That perhaps was the greatest tragedy of the battle.

In more ways than one, the battle of Panipat of 14 January 1761 was the battle that defined the Indian nation-state. Who knows what would have happened if Najib-ud-Daulah and Siraj-ud- Daulah had never invited Ahmed Shah Abdali. Who knows what would have happened if Vishawas Rao had not been shot by a stray bullet. Who knows what would have happened had the Marathas not lost the battle so badly and so many of them had not been massacred? Who knows? While in Sadashiv Rao Bhau’s words – the battle was a “fight for an India by Indians where outsiders ought to have no say.”, whereas the big picture of the reality of the battle is that internal fighting among Indian rulers led to the colonisation of India.

This should serve as a lesson to all Indians – No matter how angry you may be with the rise of another ruler within your country, betraying your nation leads to much worse future for both you and your nation.

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WWI & IIM Mumbai proudly announce the formation of the Advisory Board for their upcoming MBA in Media & Entertainment.

Comprising distinguished industry leaders, the Advisory Board represents a wide spectrum of stalwarts from India’s M&E industry covering all areas from Cinema, Sports, TV, OTT, Animation, Games, Music, Events, Media & Communication. This powerhouse collective will guide the programme’s curriculum development, industry integration, and strategic direction – ensuring it stays at the cutting edge of industry trends and global best practices.

Meghna Ghai Puri, President, Whistling Woods International, delightfully commented on the formation of the advisory board, “We are honoured to have assembled an Advisory Board of such exceptional calibre and diversity. These industry titans represent the very best of Indian media and entertainment. Their collective insights will be instrumental in shaping a world-class MBA programme that prepares the next generation of leaders for this dynamic sector.”

Prof Manoj Tiwari, Director of IIM Mumbai added, “The Advisory Board’s composition reflects the comprehensive nature of the MBA in Media & Entertainment programme. With leaders from every major vertical, students will gain unparalleled exposure to real-world challenges, emerging opportunities, and best practices across the media and entertainment landscape.”

Advisory Board Members
Ashish Saksena, COO, BookMyShow
Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions
Ajit Andhare, COO, Producer, Viacom18 Studios
Ashish Pherwani, Partner – Media & Entertainment, Ernst & Young
Ashish Kulkarni, Founder, Punnaryug Artvision
Atul Churamani, MD, Turnkey Music and Publishing Private Limited
Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder, Nodwin Gaming
Dinesh Vijan, Founder, Maddock Films
Devraj Sanyal, Chairman & CEO India SA, SVP Strategy, Africa, M. East & Asia, Universal Music Group
Gaurav Gandhi, VP, Amazon Prime Video – APAC & ANZ
Keitan Yadav, COO, Red Chillies VFX
Manvendra Shukul, CEO, Lakshya Digital, India Head – Keywords Studios
Nitish Mittersain, CEO & MD, Nazara Technologies
Prashant Khanna (PK), Head – Sports & Live Experiences Production Technology & Services, JioStar
Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & MD, Green Gold Animation PVT LTD
Rajan Navani, Chairman & MD, Jetline Group of Companies & CEO, Jetsynthesys
Roshan Abbas, Founder, Kommune India
Sameer Nair, MD, Applause Entertainment
Samit Garg, Co- Founder & MD, E Factor Experiences
Shashikant Someshwar, CEO, Weber Shandwick
Vinit Karnik, MD, WPP Media

The newly formed Advisory Board will meet regularly to provide strategic guidance, facilitate industry collaborations, mentor students, and ensure that the programme remains responsive to the rapidly evolving media and entertainment industry.

To know more, visit https://www.whistlingwoods.net/programmes/mba-in-media-entertainment/

Wadekar was an excellent captain but he never won a World Cup.
Dhoni won a World Cup but he does not have a hattrick.
Kuldeep has a hattrick but he is not an outstanding fielder.
Jadeja is an incredible fielder but he doesn’t have even five thousand Test runs.
Tendulkar has a lot of Test runs but not even fifty Test wickets.
Ganguly has led India many, many times but never coached India.
Anshuman Gaekwad coached India but never won a Ranji Trophy as captain.
Gavaskar won the Ranji Trophy but never a Test series in England.
Dravid won a series in England but never got India’s record ODI score.
Rohit holds India’s record ODI score but never had India’s best ODI figures.
Ayub had India’s best ODI figures but not 400 Test wickets.
Harbhajan has 400 Test wickets but not 5,000 runs.
Laxman has over 5,000 runs but never a 9-wicket haul.
Gupte had a 9-wicket haul but not hundreds in South Africa.
Azhar had one in South Africa but not one in West Indies.
Sardesai had hundreds in West Indies but never one in England.
Vengsarkar had hundreds in England but never hit four sixes in a row.
Yuvraj hit more than that but never took eight in an innings in Australia.
Kumble has done that but he never held the world record for most Test wickets.

One Indian has done each of these things. Every single one!

And he did more. He inspired millions. And he showed a country that they can be winners!

One of India’s greatest ever cricketers was born 67 years ago, today, on 6th January 1959.

Happy Birthday Kapil Dev Nikhanj! 🏏

Thank you for everything!!! 🙂🙏🏻

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