The Morning Brief

There is no beating down Shah Rukh Khan! In the latest turning point to a career as dramatic as his films, the “King of Bollywood” is back at the top with two runaway hits-Pathan and Jawan. SRK has built a billion-dollar career out of romancing women on screen. But people close to him, know him as a sports, video game and action freak. Naturally, the 57-year-old actor is having copious amounts of fun in his new high-octane action-hero avatar. And so is the audience: the two films together have already crossed a business of Rs 1,500 crore.The twin successes come after a string of flops, a five-year hiatus and deep personal turmoil after the arrest of his son. For the Hindi film industry that has been in a “Kabhi Khushi, Kabhi Gham” phase itself, this level of excitement has come after years. In this episode, we try to decode why Brand SRK keeps enduring. Is he truly “the last of the stars?” Host Dia Rekhi explores with  Anupama Chopra, Founder and Editor of Film Companion,  Komal Nahta, Film Trade Analyst,  Harish Bijoor, Business and Brand Strategy Specialist.  Tune in to the latest episode of the Morning Brief podcast! If you like this episode from Dia Rekhi, check out her other interesting episodes on Business of Sleaze: The Dark Side of Livestreaming?, Phoenixes of Partition: Startup Sagas from 1947, Game of 'Threads', Ethical Hacking 101: The Bright Side of the Dark Web and more! You can follow our host Dia Rekhi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin You can also check out the books from the author Anupama Chopra - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: A Modern Classic and King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts.  Credits: PINKVILLA, Netflix India, Red Chillies Entertainment, Srkterritory, All India Bakchod, Santosh Gupta, Ishtar Music, Mr.Shoyab.Khan.11, T-Series    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Household savings fall to a 50-year-low at a time when borrowing and spending are touching new records. The new mantra of lenders is to bank on Gen-Zers taking the lead on loans and spending. But with the demand, comes debt and default. Unsecured lending is booming at a record pace, with the market expected to top Rs 4.5 lakh crore by this financial year. Meanwhile, credit card default tops Rs 4000 crore and retail debt stress rises. Host Anupriya Nair explores whether India's demographic dividend is turning into a demographic debt disaster with  Ritesh Srivastava, Founder of retail debt resolution platform FREED,  A M Karthik, VP & Head of Finance Sector Rating, ICRA  You can follow our host Anupriya Nair on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin If you like this episode from Anupriya Nair, you can check out more episodes of The Morning Brief Cheeni Kum: The Bitter Truth of Aspartame, Battle of the bikes: Harley Davidson vs. Royal Enfield, Tomato Tangle: Deciphering India’s Tomatoflation and more.  Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts.  Credits: Pine Labs, Amazon India, MobiKwik, ICICIdirect See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the next decade, 17 of the 20 fastest-growing cities in the world are expected to be from India. At the heart of it all are our local municipal bodies that have historically been plagued by a lack of governance and financial discipline. But that is gradually changing! Municipal Corporations looking to seek financial autonomy & instill financial discipline are rushing to the bond market to fund their big & discerning projects. 25 years after the first-ever Indian Municipal Bond and less than 6 months after the doors were opened to retail investors, the Municipal bond market is looking promising. So, what is the attraction to raising funds from bond markets? Also, why would someone bet on Municipal Bonds? What are the returns and challenges? Host Kiran Somvanshi gets the answers from Arnab Choudhury of SBI Capital Markets, Kripanand Shukla of Kanpur Municipal Corporation, Kunal Mandwale of Pune Municipal Corporation and Madan Sabnavis of Bank of Baroda. Tune in to the latest episode of The Morning Brief podcast!  Note: This podcast episode is bilingual with parts of the interview in hindi between 26:15 till 29:03.  Credits: Zee Uttar Pradesh UttaraKhand and ABP live. If you like this episode from Kiran Somvanshi, check out interesting episodes on The Economics, Politics & Possibility of One Nation, One Election, Amchi Mumbai Welcomes IIM: NITIE Gets a Brand Makeover, SEBI on Steroids and more!  Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploring India's toy market and the government's efforts to promote local toy makers. The podcast discusses the shift from imported toys to domestic production, revenue generators, the importance of content and design, the use of sustainable materials, and the growth potential and challenges of the Indian toy industry.

The Indian consumer market is seeing a dynamic shift, with the resurgence of local brands as formidable challengers to industry giants like Tata, Britannia, HUL and Nestle. Data from Kantar's Brand Footprint report showcases local brands like Sargam, Vidisha and Bhagwati making remarkable leaps in consumer brand rankings, shaking up the nearly $180 billion FMCG market. Karnataka-based brand Teju Masala, for example, has grown 65% in one year. But, what are these local brands doing differently? Should the biggies be threatened? Host Ratna Bhushan explores the ambitions of these challengers with K Ramakrishnan of Kantar, Sumit Aggarwal of Vitrak ExtendReach, and Girjesh Rungta of Rungta Tea in this episode of The Morning Brief. Tune in!You can check out more episodes of The Morning Brief on: The Uncertain Fate Of Asia’s Largest Refinery, Has milk politics turned sour in Karnataka?, El Niño: Little Boy, Big Trouble, E-20 Explained: The blender’s pride or bane? And more.If you like this episode from Ratna Bhushan, check out her other interesting episodes on The Hard Battle for Soft Drinks, Corner Office Conversation With Nestle India CMD, Suresh Narayanan, The Dark Side of Green: Unmasking Greenwashing Tactics and more! You can follow Ratna Bhushan on her social media: Twitter and Linkedin.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

900 million voters, 545 Lok Sabha seats, 4123 State Assembly seats - Can India really synchronize this dance of democracy through One Nation, One Election? An old idea with a new decibel in debate. What is the economic, logistical, and political possibility of it becoming a reality? Host Kiran Somvanshi gets the pros and cons from: Akshay Rout, Senior Fellow, NITI Aayog & Former Director General of Election Commission of India,  Jagdeep S. Chhokar, Professor & Founding Member of the Association of Democratic Reforms  Anubhuti Vishnoi, Senior Editor, Economic Times Listen to the latest episode of The Morning Brief podcast! You can follow our host Kiran Somvanshi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin If you like this episode from Kiran Somvanshi, check out her other interesting episodes on ITC Demerger Drama: A Party-Spoiler for Investors, The A to Z of the Zee-Sony Merger Saga, The Billion Dollar Baby: The Business of IVF, Pakistan in Penury, and much more! Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India's massive diamond industry is grappling with a prolonged crisis. Western sanctions on big miner Russia, inflation in the US and a downturn in China have hit the industry which cuts and polishes nine of ten diamonds in the world. Exports from the world's top diamond exporter are down; companies are cutting output, salaries and staff. In Surat, that controls 90% of India's diamond trade, the fates of thousands of workers hang in balance. Several have died by suicide. Team TMB travels to the heart of the diamond business and talks to merchants, brokers, workers, and a union leader to understand the issues that now face this centuries-old industry. Listen to this episode of The Morning Brief with host Anirban Chowdhury!   If you like this episode from Anirban Chowdhury, check out his other interesting episodes on Acing Space: After Chandrayaan 3, India Leaps for the Sun, Tesla's India Test Drive: The Facts vs Faff, Battle of the bikes: Harley Davidson vs Royal Enfield and more! You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: Twitter and Linkedin  Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zepto - the quick climber in quick commerce! With a billion-dollar valuation, what is making this 2-year-old company zip in a race with others that are backed by big corporates? Get the scoop on how Zepto is capturing the Kirana corner in quick commerce from its investors. TMB Host Mugdha Variyar speaks to Vivek Subramanian of Goodwater Capital, a new investor in Zepto and a backer of several global quick commerce firms, as he answers what sets the company apart. Also ET Prime's Priyanka Sahay gives us the ground check on what is cooking next at the firm. Credit: ET Now If you like this episode from Mugdha Variyar, check out her other interesting episodes on Unboxing the New Laptop Import Regime, Why India’s working women are logging out, Will ONDC eat Swiggy, Zomato’s lunch? And more! You can follow Mugdha Variyar on her social media: Twitter and Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India could soon see its largest-ever pharma deal as the 10th biggest pharma company by revenues -- Torrent -- is trying to buy the fourth largest one -- Cipla. But, is the bullet too big to bite for Torrent? Is the funding feasible? Will the compatibility not of portfolio but of philosophy, and people, be a challenge? Will Torrent’s M&A ambition extend beyond pharma and power to possibly once again finance? Host Anupriya Nair solves this complex bond along with Economic Times’ Arijit Barman, Kiran Somvanshi & Sangita Mehta in this episode of The Morning Brief podcast. Tune in! To know more about the Cipla pharmaceuticals, you can read this story by Arujit Barman: Torrent in top gear to close out Cipla buyout, in talks with PEs, banks for funds or listen to this episode of The Morning Brief podcast: Cipla Saga - Did The Doctor Prescribe A Sale? You can follow our host Anupriya Nair on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. Credits: ET Now, trendlyneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a tell-tale journey, TMB Host Dia Rekhi takes you into the world of live-stream apps and in-app gifts for creators, exploring how the murky underbelly of 'content creation' is multiplying as explicit content exploiting the lack of a regulator. In this episode of The Morning Brief podcast, we hear from Deepak Salvi, co-founder of a live streaming app Chingari which introduced the live-streaming model as an additional feature a few months ago and is now among the top 10 grossing apps in India. But, who is liable, the creator or platform? and what is obscene? Ashish of Capstone Legal and Nirali Bhatia, Cyber Psychologist answers all this. Tune in! Disclaimer: This episode has references to and descriptions of partial nudity, pornography, sexual exploitation and verbal abuse. Listener discretion is advised.Credit: Aditya Music India and YRF If you like this episode from Dia Rekhi, check out her other interesting episodes on Phoenixes of Partition: Startup Sagas from 1947, Game of 'Threads', Ethical Hacking 101: The Bright Side of the Dark Web and more! You can follow TMB Host Dia Rekhi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.