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Ali works together with makers of Victoria and Abdul to break the Indian stereotype

Ali works together with makers of Victoria and Abdul to break the Indian stereotype

The trailer of Victoria & Abdul was released recently and the audience has applauded Ali Fazal for his Hollywood venture. Ali will be seen opposite Academy Award winner Judi Dench and the movie is directed by legendary director Stephen Frears.
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Playing the titular lead in the film there was a lot of representation of India in the film. Several times previously there has been an obvious typecasting of South Asians in films internationally and Ali worked in tandem with makers of the film to ensure that there’s correct portrayal. He suggested and worked with the makers to make sure the accent, pronunciation and such things in script are aptly put together and displayed on screen.    
 
This is not Ali’s first outing in a Western film; he was part of Fast & Furious 7 in a cameo role. But in Victoria & Abdul, he tried to represent India in a better way and break down stereotypes about Indians in Tinseltown’s eyes. Starring Academy Award winner Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Ali Fazal as an Indian attendant named Abdul Karim, the film tells the unexpected story of the deep friendship between them.
 
When asked Ali he said, “The team was very forthcoming to all sort of suggestions. We all worked together and it was a collaborative effort. I wanted to try and keep it as authentic as possible and that was intended to ensure we get things right.”

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Phi Commerce strengthens leadership team with strategic appointments to accelerate growth across payments and technology businesses

MUMBAI, India, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Digital payments fintech firm Phi Commerce has announced the appointment of two senior industry leaders as part of its ongoing growth strategy aimed at strengthening its payment aggregator-payment gateway (PAPG) and technology solutions businesses.
The company has appointed Sachin Koneri as Business Head – technology solutions and Vishal Maru as Senior Vice President, product strategy and growth. These strategic appointments come at a time when enterprises are increasingly seeking integrated payment, merchant acquiring, issuing, and value-added technology solutions to support their digital transformation journeys.Sachin Koneri joins Phi Commerce with over two decades of experience across digital payments, merchant acquiring, banking, corporate sales, and relationship management. Throughout his career, he has led large-scale business expansion initiatives, built high-performing sales organisations, and driven merchant acquisition and revenue growth across some of India’s leading financial institutions.Prior to joining Phi Commerce, Sachin held leadership positions at SBI Payment Services, YES Bank, HDFC Bank, Via, ING Vysya Bank (now Kotak Mahindra Bank) and Global Trust Bank. In his new role, he will lead Phi Commerce’s technology solutions business, focusing on expanding merchant acquiring, issuing solutions, strategic partnerships, and enterprise payment capabilities.Vishal Maru brings over two decades of experience spanning product management, digital payments, financial services, and business growth. He has played a pivotal role in building and scaling payment products, driving innovation, and enabling business transformation across organisations.As senior vice president, product strategy and growth, Vishal will spearhead Phi Commerce’s product vision, innovation roadmap, and go-to-market strategy, helping accelerate the company’s next phase of growth across enterprise payments and digital commerce solutions.Commenting on the appointments, Rajesh Londhe, Co-founder, Phi Commerce, said: “The convergence of payments, commerce, merchant acquiring, and value-added technology services is creating new opportunities for innovation. Sachin’s experience in building merchant ecosystems and driving Issuance business expansion, combined with Vishal’s expertise in product strategy and innovation, will further strengthen our ability to deliver differentiated solutions to enterprises and financial institutions.”For more information, visit: https://phicommerce.com/ 

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KITABOO Converts a Textbook PDF Into a Working Student Simulation in Ten Minutes, With No Human Involvement

MUMBAI, India, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ten minutes is all it takes for KITABOO’s new AI capability to analyze a standard textbook PDF, isolate the exact concept students struggle with most, and engineer an interactive simulation around that specific learning friction point.

This automated pipeline instantly transforms flat text into an active digital environment: a physics chapter becomes a pendulum a student can control; an algebra lesson shifts into a digital balance scale; and a biology unit evolves into an ecosystem where students manipulate variables to observe cause and effect. The final output is delivered via a single, shareable URL that anyone can access instantly—no user accounts or logins required.Publishers globally are sitting on years of curriculum content in PDF format. The quality of that content has never been the problem. The production cost of converting it into something genuinely interactive has been. A full conversion project has historically required a specialist team, a vendor engagement, and months of time. Most publishers have done the math and deprioritised it.KITABOO’s new capability removes that constraint. By introducing an end-to-end automated pipeline, the platform allows publishers to bypass traditional development bottlenecks:The AI instantly reads any uploaded PDF chapter, determines grade appropriateness, and targets core conceptual friction points.Without any human involvement between upload and output, the system builds tailored, subject-specific simulations using the publisher’s own material.The final interactive asset is delivered via a shareable URL, requiring no logins or user accounts for student access.”K12 publishers have spent years building content that students deserve to actually interact with,” said Darshit Shah, K12 Lead at KITABOO. “What took a team and a production budget now takes ten minutes. That changes who can afford to go digital, and when.”The timing matters. In the US, emergency federal education funding that kept many publisher production pipelines running ended in 2024. In Europe, governments are mandating digital transitions and accessibility compliance, while publishers are expected to absorb the cost from existing resources. The publishers who find a faster, lower-cost path to interactive content this year will be positioned for the adoption windows ahead. Those who wait are extending a gap that is already widening.Publishers who want to test this with their own content can do so at: kitaboo.com/turn-textbook-into-interactive-learningAbout KITABOOKITABOO is a digital publishing and learning platform. The platform enables K12 publishers, educational institutions, and content providers to create, distribute, secure, and measure digital content across web and mobile platforms. KITABOO serves publishers in more than 25+ countries, supporting over six million active users across 7,000 school districts.For more information, visit https://kitaboo.com.Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3000515/KITABOO_Live_Simulations.jpg

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Style Baazar Hosts Star Cast of Upcoming Bengali Film Abhhiman at Avani Riverside Mall

KOLKATA, India, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Style Baazar welcomed the cast and creators of the upcoming Bengali film Abhhiman at its store at Avani Riverside Mall, Kolkata, on June 20, 2026. The special event saw the presence of Bengal’s iconic superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, acclaimed actor and producer Jisshu U Sengupta, and filmmaker Indraadip Dasgupta, who interacted with fans and shared insights about the much-anticipated film.

Produced by Why So Serious Films, Abhhiman is an emotional drama that explores themes of memory, music, relationships, and redemption through the lives of its central characters. The film brings together some of Bengali cinema’s most celebrated talents in a compelling story of human connection and self-discovery.The event marks Style Baazar’s association with Abhhiman, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to celebrating regional culture and meaningful storytelling.Commenting on the association, Mr. Shreyans Surana, Managing Director, Style Baazar, said: “At Style Baazar, we have always believed in building meaningful connections with our customers through culture and community. Bengali cinema holds a special place in the hearts of our consumers, and we are delighted to associate with a film like Abhhiman, which brings together some of the industry’s finest talents and a powerful story. We were thrilled to host the cast and creators at our Avani Riverside Mall store and look forward to supporting this cinematic journey.”Speaking about the collaboration, the team behind Abhhiman expressed appreciation for Style Baazar’s support in bringing audiences closer to the film through such consumer-focused engagements.With over 270 stores across 10 states, Style Baazar continues to strengthen its cultural connect by partnering with initiatives that celebrate entertainment, creativity, and community engagement. 

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