SCREENXX Summit & Awards 2025: Bold Ideas, Human X Thinking, Storytelling Redefined

PNN

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 4: Mumbai played host to the 2025 edition of the SCREENXX Summit & Awards organised by Adgully on 26th November 2025, convening an eclectic mix of industry leaders, creators, innovators, and marketers under the theme "Reinvent. Reimagine. Rise. M&E's Great Transformation." The Summit was held at a point in time when Indian entertainment is undergoing one of its most profound rewrites in decades, driven by shifting consumer behaviour, multiscreen consumption, and technological disruption.

Havas Play was the Presenting Partner of SCREENXX Summit & Awards 2025. Bajaj Almond Drops was the Powered By Partner.

OTT Play and SYNC Media were the Gold Partners, while CTV Scale and Vertoz were the Silver Partners. Teamology Softech and Media Services was the Communications Partner, and Rawbare was the Gifting Partner.

Bijoya Ghosh, Founder & CEO, Adgully, said: "When we launched this IP in 2019, our goal was to create a platform that not only celebrates the art of storytelling but also recognises the innovators shaping the future of entertainment. Today, SCREENXX Summit and Awards 2025 has evolved into India's premier forum for insightful dialogue and industry leadership. This year, the Summit delved deep into the trends, disruptions, and transformations that are redefining the media and entertainment landscape, setting the agenda for the next era of creative innovation."

Uday Mohan, COO, Havas Media India & Havas Play, commented: "We are incredibly energised by the response to SCREENXX Summit & Awards 2025. What began as a vision to bring together India's brightest storytellers, brand builders and content creators has become a powerful reality a vibrant convergence of people who believe in experiences over interruptions, and creativity over convention. The enthusiasm, insights and collaborations we witnessed reaffirm that the future of media and entertainment lies in bold ideas, shared passion and collective innovation. At Havas Play, we remain committed to building brands that don't just communicate, but connect and events like SCREENXX strengthen our belief that together, we can reimagine what content, culture and community can achieve."

"Choose, curate, and control"

Opening the summit, Prachi Narayan, Managing Partner, Havas Play India, set the tone with a keynote urging marketers to evolve alongside audiences that now "choose, curate, and control" what they consume. She stressed that the future belongs to brands that move beyond passive visibility and embed themselves meaningfully in culture, creating with audiences rather than broadcasting at them. Citing Havas Play's Meaningful Brands framework and initiatives such as Hyundai's Samarth and Swiggy XL, Narayan highlighted the need for content that serves real human needs, urging the industry to prioritise engagement over mere exposure. "Powerful storytelling," she said, "must be felt, replayed, and participated in, not just watched."

Reinventing Audiences

A charged session titled "Reinventing Audiences: From Fragmentation to Fluidity" confronted the industry's central anxiety: how to hold attention in a world where viewers swipe within seconds. Writer Aamil Keeyan Khan, director-producer Ravindra Gautam, and actor-writer-producer Shaan R Grover examined how storytelling is being rewritten for impulsive, multiscreen consumers. Khan observed that viewers who once waited minutes for a twist now demand instant hooks. Gautam outlined the new writing reality: vertical formats demand a beat every 20 seconds, scripts built on continuous hooks rather than slow-build arcs. Grover highlighted that actors must be medium-agnostic, embracing films, OTT, and short-form content alike, as stardom decentralizes and mobile becomes India's primary screen. The panel concluded that storytelling must be agile, experimental, and format-free to match today's fluid attention.

Explore all the conversations and key insights from SCREENXX here

Paradigm shift from 'Human Plus' to 'Human X'

Zenith India CEO Jai Lala delivered a keynote on the evolution from a "Human Plus" model--where AI boosts efficiency--to a "Human X" paradigm, blending human creativity with machine intelligence for context-aware outputs. Using case studies such as Gatorade's pop-up sports activations via Google location data, Oreo's AI-generated voice interactions, Lay's Smart Farm with CropIn, and Cathay Pacific's dynamic targeting, Lala emphasised that future advantage lies not in technology alone but in harmonising data, automation, and intuition.

AI through the human lens

VML India CEO Babita Baruah urged the industry to embrace AI without losing the human lens that powers true creativity. Reflecting on a moment when her journalism-student daughter watched an AI tool research and produce a publishable article in minutes, Baruah framed the uncertainty gripping creative industries. She outlined three principles for human-first innovation: lead with questions rather than dashboards, design for emotion rather than outcomes, and let human values guide responsible AI use. Her examples--from reshaping health-brand briefs to personal consumer choices--underscored that brands win when they understand why people act, not just how.

Reimagining Storytelling

The panel "Reimagining Storytelling: From Local Roots to Global Resonance" highlighted a pivotal shift: Indian stories are no longer exported solely to the diaspora--they are attracting global audiences on their own merit. Moderator Gulfam Khan Hussain traced India's narrative legacy from Premchand and Manto to oral traditions, emphasising that the richness has always existed; what has changed is discoverability. Dilip Bachchan Jha cited India's layered languages, histories, and philosophies as natural contributors to globally resonant stories. Balaji Telefilms' Nitin Burman credited streaming platforms and technology for breaking geographical and linguistic barriers. Singer Abhijeet Sawant and actor Karanvir Sharma noted that emotional truth and human relatability remain central, even as audiences worldwide discover Indian content. The consensus: local authenticity paired with global accessibility defines India's new storytelling era.

The future of media planning

Measurement and media strategy took centre stage as Prakhar Gupta, Head of Data, Tech & Product, Sync Media, and Harshdeep Chhabra, Head - Global Media, Godrej Consumer Products, dissected cross-platform ROI. Chhabra challenged legacy assumptions, emphasizing that only investment driving short-term sales and long-term brand health matters. With viewers splintered across TV, mobile, and CTV, duplicate exposures complicate attribution. Leaders agreed that unified measurement remains elusive; traditional metrics fail to capture resonance, environment, or attention. Havas Media reframed consumption by format rather than platform, while Sync Media highlighted incompatible denominators across mediums. The path forward lies in person-level measurement, attention metrics, and impact-driven analysis--essential for future media planning.

Rising Monetisation Models

A panel on the economics of entertainment questioned what truly monetizes in an oversaturated content landscape. Arjun Chadha (Thebes Ads), Himanshu Khandelwal (Axis Mutual Fund), Khadija Attarwala (Natural Diamond Council), Rohan Chincholi (Havas Media India), Vineet Shah (Madison Media) discussed how content monetisation is rapidly evolving, driven by the rise of Connected TV and the explosive demand for short-form storytelling

Creative freedom Vs censorship

A fireside chat moderated by Sumanto Chattopadhyay explored creative freedom versus censorship, with filmmaker Goldie Behl noting how institutional and operational limits shape content. From early political pushbacks to OTT experimentation, the session highlighted a nuanced landscape where intent and clarity determine audience acceptance.

Cross-media measurement and unified ROI

The concluding panel at SCREENXX Summit 2025 tackled the industry's toughest challenge: cross-media measurement and unified ROI. Moderated by Mihir Mehta (0101), Sonal Jadhav (Havas Media Network), Kartik Johari (Nobel Hygiene), Jiteen Aggarwal (Hettich), Prakhar Gupta (Sync Media), and Kishore Pathur (Bajaj Almond Drops) agreed that today's multiscreen audience has outpaced current measurement systems. With viewers switching between TV, mobile, and CTV--often simultaneously--duplicate exposures distort planning and attribution. Rising CTV usage complicates comparability, while traditional metrics still over-reward last-mile channels and underplay attention. The panelists emphasised that marketers chasing sheer reach risk missing resonance, as environment and engagement vary widely. The path forward, they concluded, lies in person-level measurement, attention-based metrics, and prioritising impact over impressions--critical steps for future-ready media planning.

SCREENXX Awards 2025: Celebrating India's Creative Trailblazers

The SCREENXX Awards 2025 honoured excellence across OTT, cinema, and television, reflecting the sector's dynamic mix of established talent and emerging voices. Yami Gautam Dhar won Best Actor (Female) - OTT Movie for Dhoom Dham, while Pratik Gandhi secured Best Actor (Male) - OTT Movie for the same title. Vijay Raaz claimed Best Actor (Male) - Web Series for Murder in Mahim, and Sanya Malhotra earned Best Actor (Female) - OTT Movie (Jury Choice) for Mrs. In cinema, Shraddha Kapoor won Best Actor (Female) for Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank, which also took Best Drama Film - Cinema and Global Impact Film of the Year. Sharman Joshi (Medical Dreams) and Shantanu Maheshwari (Love in Vietnam) were named Most Impactful Performers, while Sadia Khateeb (The Diplomat) was recognised as Rising Star of the Year. Collectively, the winners exemplify India's storytelling evolution--where fresh voices and seasoned performers alike are shaping a globally resonant entertainment landscape.

Click here for the complete list of SCREENXX Awards 2025 winners.

About Adgully:

Founded in 2009, Adgully is a leading digital destination for news, insights, and analysis in media, marketing, advertising, and entertainment. With a strong portfolio of high-impact IPs such as DIGIXX, SCREENEXX, MOBEXX, IMAGEXX, DATAMATIXX, and CMO's Charcha, Adgully continues to drive industry conversations and spotlight innovation across the ecosystem.

Expanding its global footprint, Adgully also operates Adgully Middle East, Adgully Asia, and The PR Post--dedicated platforms that provide region-specific insights and amplify voices across global communications and marketing landscapes.

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