The 8th WeddingSutra Influencer Awards to be held on August 20 at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
From heartfelt moments and gourmet feasts to dazzling sangeet performances and immersive décor, every detail in Indian weddings is brought to life by a community of talented professionals who juggle tight deadlines with the need for constant innovation. These awards aim to recognise the unsung heroes powering the celebrations and shaping the industry with their innovation, excellence, and passion.
The distinguished jury panel is led by Priya Tanna (President of The Right Side) and includes Ashish Bhasin (Founder of The Bhasin Consulting Group and former CEO, APAC, Dentsu), Digvijay Singh Kathiwada (Director, House of Kathiwada), Himani Rajiv Shah (Lifestyle and beauty influencer), Iqbal Khan (Actor), Karen Anand (Food Writer, Restaurant Consultant, and Chef), Khushnaz Turner (Luxury Lifestyle Influencer), Raaj Sanghvi (CEO, Culinary Culture & Co-founder, Sanguine & Caviar Noir), Rahul Jagtiani (Entrepreneur & Founder, Plush Ventures), Rashmi Uday Singh (Food Writer, TV Host, and Author), Renu Oberoi (Jewellery designer), Riyhad Kundanmal (Architect, Entrepreneur, and Founder, KaRRS Designs & Developments), Vaishali Banerjee (Managing Director, India, Platinum Guild International), and Vivek Dhadha (Luxury Lifestyle Influencer). With their diverse expertise across fashion, advertising, media, and entertainment, the jury will evaluate the entries based on creativity, impact, and industry influence.
This year saw an outstanding response, with over 5,000 submissions across 27 categories, representing the full spectrum of wedding expertise.
The upcoming event will be co-hosted by the IHCL Group and WeddingSutra.com, uniting standout names across the wedding landscape for an evening of celebration and recognition.
Parthip Thyagarajan, Co-founder and CEO of WeddingSutra.com, says, "India's wedding ecosystem thrives on creative collaboration. These awards are a way to celebrate the work of those who are constantly pushing the envelope, offer a platform for discovery, and encourage new avenues for collaboration and growth."
About WeddingSutra
Launched in 2000, WeddingSutra.com is today India's leading wedding media platform, connecting couples and families with some of the finest professionals in the industry, ranging from planners, caterers, photographers to entertainers and more, to help them curate unforgettable celebrations.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2746189/WeddingSutra.jpg
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/the-8th-weddingsutra-influencer-awards-to-be-held-on-august-20-at-the-taj-mahal-palace-mumbai-302524401.html
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Even Salman Khan couldn't save India's crypto scene
Even Salman Khan couldn't save India's crypto scene originally appeared on TheStreet. For two years running, India has topped the world in grassroots crypto adoption, according to Chainalysis. Estimates suggest between 90 and 100 million Indians have owned or used cryptocurrency — roughly 6 to 7% of the country's 1.4 billion people. The only country to see higher crypto trading volumes over that period? The United States. On paper, India looks like a crypto powerhouse. In reality, the market is suffocating. Trading volumes on Indian exchanges have cratered since the government introduced a punishing tax regime in 2022: a flat 30% tax on gains, no offsetting losses, and a 1% tax deducted at source (TDS) on every trade. The industry operates in a gray zone — not banned, but not officially recognized as legal tender — with the Reserve Bank of India maintaining a skeptical stance, as per CNBC TV18. The result is a curious paradox: millions of Indians hold crypto, but much of the real trading action has gone offshore. Those who remain in the domestic market often find themselves trapped between enthusiasm and exhaustion. And if there was ever a project to bridge India's pop culture dominance with its crypto curiosity, it was BollyCoin. Bollywood meets the blockchain In 2021, filmmaker Atul Agnihotri — with none other than Salman Khan as the face of the brand — launched BollyCoin with the promise to 'bring Bollywood to the blockchain.' The concept was irresistible: digital collectibles from classic Hindi films, official partnerships with production houses like Salman Khan Films and Arbaaz Khan Productions, and the megastar himself posting, 'Kya aap excited ho? [Are you excited] Salman Khan Static NFTs coming on @bollycoin'. Fans were. Reports show BollyCoin sold its entire pre-sale of 20 million tokens in just 30 days, raising about $2 million. Its first NFT drop featured scenes and assets from the Dabangg franchise, one of Salman's biggest hits. The token (BOLLY) ran on Ethereum's ERC-20 standard and later bridged to Polygon for lower transaction fees. The total supply was set at 100 million, and holders could use BOLLY tokens to buy NFTs on the platform. In 2022, the team introduced a 'lock-in' staking scheme where holders could lock tokens for up to 24 months in exchange for monthly USDT payouts. They even launched a 'Bolly Council' governance system, allowing the community to vote on project direction. For a while, it worked. BollyCoin was the perfect storm of Bollywood glamor and blockchain hype. Until it wasn't. At press time, BollyCoin's official website was defunct. The last post made by the project on their Instagram account dates back to July 2024. Fade to black Within a year, marketplace trading volumes collapsed, and the BOLLY token lost more than 90% of its value. By late 2022, the dream of Bollywood's NFT empire had evaporated. It wasn't alone. In the same year, the cricket-themed NFT platform Rario, backed by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, was riding high on fan engagement. Players like Arshdeep Singh even launched their own digital collectibles on Rario. But with the NFT market's global cooldown and India's domestic tax squeeze, momentum faded fast. Other Indian crypto ventures met a similar fate. NanoHealthCare Token (NHCT), launched in 2018 to revolutionize healthcare with blockchain, was abandoned by April 2020. By 2023, dozens of play-to-earn gaming projects had shuttered after failing to sustain token economies. TheStreet Roundtable reached out to both Rario and BollyCoin for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication. The failures aren't just about bad business models — they're about operating in an environment designed to discourage crypto innovation. The regulatory squeeze Since April 2022, every crypto transaction in India — even swapping one coin for another — has attracted a 1% TDS. The 30% tax on profits mirrors the highest slab rate for gambling winnings. Losses can't be offset against gains, meaning one bad trade can erase the benefit of several good ones for tax purposes. The government defends these rules as necessary for transparency and tracking, but industry leaders warn they're killing the domestic market. According to the Esya Centre, a Delhi-based policy think tank, Indian exchanges lost over 81% of their trading volumes in the months after TDS was introduced. Many traders simply moved to offshore platforms that don't enforce Indian tax rules. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India maintains its stance that cryptocurrencies pose risks to financial stability. There's no roadmap for regulation that might legitimize the industry, leaving projects like BollyCoin in limbo. India's 30% tax on crypto gains pulled in about $32.4 million in financial year 2022 to 2023 and $52.7 million in financial year 2023 to 2024, despite no clear regulations for the sector. Data for 2024 to 2025 isn't available yet, as filings are still underway. Bollywood couldn't beat the blockade BollyCoin's collapse says as much about India's crypto climate as it does about the fickle nature of NFT hype cycles. From 2021 to 2025, the trading volume of the NFT market decreased by 93%. Even with Salman Khan's star power and a built-in Bollywood fanbase, the project couldn't escape the gravity of declining NFT interest, low domestic liquidity, and high barriers to participation. When India's grassroots adoption numbers are so high, you'd expect more homegrown crypto success stories. But the few that have tried — from Bollywood NFTs to cricket collectibles — have mostly fizzled. Not because Indians aren't interested, but because the environment doesn't reward sticking around. The irony is sharp: India is a global leader in Web3 talent, with its developers powering major projects abroad, yet its domestic crypto economy is locked in survival mode. And it's also a reminder: mass adoption doesn't always mean mass participation. Tens of millions of Indians may own crypto, but until the rules change, the country's biggest crypto plays will keep premiering somewhere else. After all, if even Salman Khan couldn't keep the cameras rolling, what chance does anyone else have? Even Salman Khan couldn't save India's crypto scene first appeared on TheStreet on Aug 13, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Magic Moments maker ties up with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to launch premium tequila
By Chandini Monnappa and Hritam Mukherjee (Reuters) -Radico Khaitan, the maker of "Magic Moments" vodka, will invest up to $4.56 million and team up with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath to launch a premium tequila brand, marking its foray into the category. The Indian liquor maker, known for premium offerings such as Rampur Indian Single Malt and Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin, will roll out the brand D'YAVOL Añejo — a premium spirit made from agave and aged about two years in wine casks. D'YAVOL, a luxury brand founded in 2022 by Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, along with Leti Blagoeva and Bunty Singh, is headquartered in Amsterdam and offers vodka, blended malt Scotch whisky and premium streetwear. D'YAVOL Añejo is set to launch by December and depending on state excise duty, will be priced between 20,000 rupees ($228.21) and 30,000 rupees, Radico Khaitan Managing Director Abhishek Khaitan told Reuters on Tuesday. The launch comes as affluent Indians increasingly splurge on everything from luxury dining to premium alcohol, housing and cars. Alcohol sales in the country, according to data from analytics firm Crisil, are projected to grow as much as 10% to $61.35 billion in fiscal 2026. Tequila is one of the fastest growing segments globally and India is catching on very fast. The market size in the country is about 300,000 cases, out of which 15% is the Añejo (Spanish word meaning 'aged') category, Khaitan said. "We believe that in the next five years, tequila can reach a volume of about a million cases in India plus global market, so I think it was a great opportunity," he said. Under the partnership, Radico Khaitan and Shah Rukh Khan's family will each hold a 47.5% stake in the venture, while Kamath will own 5%. The deal also underscores the fierce competition in mass and premium liquor segments. Just three weeks ago, peer Tilaknagar Industries bought the "Imperial Blue" whisky brand from Pernod Ricard for $486 million. ($1 = 87.6370 Indian rupees) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
12 hours ago
- TechCrunch
Pocket FM gives its writers an AI tool to transform narratives, write cliffhangers, and more
India-based audio series platform maker Pocket FM aims to be the Netflix of audio. That is, the company intends to match its audio series with hundreds of episodes to its users' tastes. For that to work, it needs to release content rapidly — something it's now turning to AI to help with. The Lightspeed-backed startup is giving its writers an AI tool set that can do things like suggest better endings to an episode or make the narrative more engaging. The hope is that the tools will speed up the storywriting process. Pocket FM already uses some AI tools like ElevenLabs to generate voices for audio series. It also tested AI tools for writing and adaptation assistance internally. Rohan Nayak, Pocket FM's founder, said it's rolling out the AI tools to all writers, so it will take them less time to finish their episodes. Image Credits: Pocket FM The writing tool, dubbed CoPilot, can be used to help any writer create a story. CoPilot can transform narrative-based writing into dialog-based writing for a specific segment. It can also do 'beat analysis' to shape the writing in a way to makes it more engaging for an audio series of a particular genre. The tool additionally has basic chatbot-style writing features such as 'shorten,' 'expand,' and the ability to generate text via a prompt. To build CoPilot, the company examined thousands of hours of data points to understand what makes users engage more with a particular storyline in a specific genre. Based on that, it added writing suggestion features designed to increase conflict between characters and recommend endings for an episode to make it more exciting. AI can also suggest tags for background effects that can be used while producing the audio. The tool can automatically generate bios of characters, their relationships, and summarize plot points of different episodes, allowing creators to refer back to these details while writing. CoPilot also has a review tool, which checks for plot points, grammar, and leaves qualitative feedback through comments on an episode. Under the hood, Pocket FM is training smaller models to maintain context for a story for character arcs and relations, along with narrative consistency. Plus, utilizing signals from users, the startup is nudging AI to add more drama to the story. International expansion and localization plans Alongside the arrival of the AI tools, Pocket FM launched adaptation tools for various markets that not only translate the text from one language to another but also change names and phrases that are more suited to that region's culture. The company first debuted this tool as a part of the CoPilot suite in Germany earlier this year to convert stories from other regions after reportedly struggling to engage users in the European country last year. Nayak said the company saw great results from this trial, with a constant increase in monthly in-app revenue, which crossed $700,000 in June. Image Credits: Pocket FM 'When we started expanding into new regions, it used to take us 12-18 months to meaningfully exist in that market. You have to have at least 1,000 hours of content to start acquiring users and scaling the market. Now we can do this in less than three months,' Nayak said. The tool increased writer productivity by up to 50% for the German market in terms of show output. Plus, the tool helped the company create more error-free drafts of the shows that resulted in higher user retention for audio series. In the U.S, series created with the help of these new AI tools are now contributing 10% of playtime. Plus, these shows have generated $7 million in revenue in the last 12 months while reducing the cost of production by 2-3 times. Building tech to scale content generation As a result of adopting different AI features internally, Pocket FM has been able to scale the content quickly. The startup said it launches close to 1,000 pilots per month. And just the sheer volume of content results in a few of them becoming hits. But the audio show is just one part. The company is already working on tools to convert stories into comic strips with its Pocket Toons platform. Plus, Nayak said video is a possible format the company could explore, too. The startup, which has raised over $196 million in funding across rounds, is experimenting with a micro drama app as well. Image Credits: Screenshot by TechCrunch By next year, Pocket FM wants to release its own singular large language model (LLM), which will be based on data collected from its shows and incorporate different tools like writing assistance, adoption, dramatization, and story context retention. The company said that when it switches to its own LLM, it won't need to train a ton of small models for separate features. AI's potential downsides Adopting AI has had its side effects. Pocket FM has already laid off people who were employees or contractors across multiple rounds in the last 12 months. There have also been reports of writers seeing diminished returns over time. And the company is facing lawsuits in California over employment and wage issues. 'Like most content-led industries, we work with a diverse network of writers, voice artists, and production partners on a project basis, tailoring resources to each market. AI has had minimal impact on our core creative community; instead, it has opened new avenues to expand reach and output,' a company rep said, in response to these layoffs. There are questions around quality, as well. The company measures quality by the retention numbers of a show. The base argument is that the new AI tools act as a writers' room even for solo creators, so they will be able to produce more content at a rapid rate. Plus, based on the numbers, writers can quickly edit the story with the help of AI. However, these tools can very well induce 'AI slop' — or low-quality, AI-generated content — into the platform and could impact a user's recommendations, making it difficult for them to discover good stories. Pocket FM argues that stories that have a solid structure will gain popularity, despite AI helping them. The company noted that every piece of content is reviewed by its AI-powered moderation framework to ensure quality and originality. It also claims its AI moderation checks for things like duplication, copyright issues, content health, and other quality measures before approving audio to go live. Each show receives and equal push, and user engagement ultimately determines a show's ranking. Another concern is that writers could become overly dependent on AI over time. In Germany, AI is writing more content than humans per show for select titles. With Pocket FM's plans to roll out more AI tools, the amount of AI-written content could increase. And with that, the expectation of churning out more shows could rise, too. Unless user adoption also rises rapidly, average returns could drop. The company didn't directly address TechCrunch's questions about returns, but said that its AI tools can speed up a writer's work and help them edit an episode based on numbers and audience feedback. That is they could make targeted improvements, instead of doing a full rewrite. 'This way, faster content creation doesn't necessarily dilute quality or relevance; it just shifts the writer's role towards editing, refining, and steering more productive output,' a spokesperson said in a statement.
