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Furniture, Films & Finance: July’s Core Mix
July’s Big Conversations
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Good morning! July was packed with sharp insights and surprising turns — from IKEA’s India playbook and the rise of luxury watches, to the future of Indian cinema and the shifting winds of equity markets. We spoke to CEOs, economists, trade experts, and storytellers to unpack what’s moving India — on the ground and in the data.
Here’s a curated playlist from The Core Report, The Signal Daily, The Media Room, and How India’s Economy Works. Think of it as your weekend listening guide — smart, relevant, and worth a re-listen.
THE CORE REPORT: RECAP
IKEA In India: Not Just A Store, But A Strategy
What’s Swedish, 400,000 sq ft, and loves meatballs as much as you do?
IKEA, of course. But in India, the world’s most famous furniture brand is doing things a little differently. In this episode, Adosh Sharma, Country commercial manager, IKEA INDIA, joins Govindraj Ethiraj to talk about why the company is going big and small — massive concept stores on one hand, compact city formats on the other. They dive into how Indians really live (spoiler: space is tight), why food is a serious business at IKEA, and what it takes to localise a global brand in a country where homes — and habits — are anything but standard.The Billy bookcase and Gamblebin sofa (made in India) are consistent bestsellers.
As Adosh Sharma Puts It:
We're not here to chase profits from Day One. We're here to build a sustainable, localized, long-term retail business — designed for how India lives.
Click below to watch the full podcast
THE CORE REPORT: RECAP
Crash. Silence. Cover-Up? The Air India Investigation Under Fire
In this Special Edition of The Core Report, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with veteran pilots Captain CS Randhawa and Captain Sam Thomas to investigate what really happened in the Air India Express crash that killed 260 people aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
While official narratives point to pilot error, this conversation digs deeper. Why has only 2 seconds of cockpit audio been released? Could systemic flaws — not human failure — be at fault? And are India's top aviation bodies doing enough?
This is more than a crash story — it’s about trust, accountability, and the systems meant to protect us all.
This wasn’t just our conversation — you were a part of it too.
👇 Here’s what you had to say:
@digonta: Good to see the new format...your guests have a valid point re., the investigation of the Air India crash. Thank you for bringing them on. May more people find your channel!
@JohannesMondt: Thank you for your cognisant discussion. Western Media are more diverse than expressed here. I am just a member of the sporadically flying public. Yet, in its simplest form, my argument in favor of assuming a technical problem rather than pilot error is the incredibly vague language in the Preliminary Report on RAT deployment, i.e., "immediately after" lift-off said lift-off being at 08:08:39. The next time stamp is the "transitioning of Engines 1 and 2 starting at 08:08:42. All I can say is that the interpretation of "immediately after" to allow for a deployment time that is NOT well before said transitioning would be unreasonable, if not absurd, and that a deployment of the RAT as reasonably gleaned from the text of the Preliminary Report to occur well before said transitioning indicates a technical problem to have occurred prior to said transitioning.
Click below to watch the full podcast
THE CORE REPORT: RECAP
Are India’s Biggest Brands Overvalued?
India’s top consumer brands are household names — but are they still smart investments? In this episode of The Core Report: Weekend Edition, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Sanjeev Prasad, MD & Co-Head at Kotak Institutional Equities, to explore the widening gap between brand love and market logic.
As companies like HUL and Nestlé continue to command sky-high valuations, investors may be missing the real story — shifting consumer behaviour, the rise of private labels, and the structural changes in retail and distribution.
From Mutual Fund flows to sectoral shake-ups, Sanjeev breaks down where value is fading, where opportunity lies, and what fundamentals matter in 2025.
If you’re rethinking your equity strategy, this episode is your playbook.
Click below to watch the full podcast
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THE SIGNAL DAILY
Tesla Is Finally In India. But, Who’s Buying?
Tesla’s long, winding journey to India may finally have reached a charging station. After years of buzz, broken promises, and that infamous $1,000 pre-booking back in 2016, the electric carmaker has officially launched in India this July — with three showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, and Gurugram, and its flagship Model Y priced at ₹60 lakh. But the India of 2025 is not the same one Musk first teased nine years ago. The EV landscape is crowded and competitive, with Tata, Mahindra, BYD, Audi, and Mercedes already carving out market share.
So, what took Tesla so long — and can it still win here? In this episode of The Signal Daily, we hit the road with consumers and auto experts to find out. Does brand magic still matter when range anxiety, charging infra, and value-for-money rule buyer sentiment? Or will Tesla’s late arrival stall its In
THE MEDIA ROOM
Cars, Phones & Cinemas: Dolby’s India Play
In this episode of The Media Room, media journalist and author Vanita Kohli-Khandekar sits down with John Couling, Senior VP at Dolby Laboratories, to unpack the evolving world of cinema and immersive storytelling — and why India is at the heart of Dolby’s global ambitions. From launching its first Dolby Cinema in Pune to building deep creative partnerships with Indian filmmakers like S.S. Rajamouli, Dolby is doubling down on the country’s growing appetite for premium moviegoing.
Couling also dives into the unexpected rise of in-car entertainment, how mobile phones are becoming cinematic platforms, and where Dolby stands in the IMAX vs Dolby debate. Plus, an inside look at the company’s R&D focus and how it’s shaping the future of storytelling — across theatres, cars, and smartphones.
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HOW INDIA’S ECONOMY WORK
JRD Tata To Vijay Mallya: The Story Of India's Airlines Business
In this episode, journalist Puja Mehra takes flight with veteran aviation reporter Ashwini Phadnis for a deep dive into the turbulent skies of Indian civil aviation. From JRD Tata’s early Air India days to the carrier’s modern-day crisis under Tata Group ownership, they unpack the policies, politics, and power struggles that shaped — and sometimes sank — airlines like Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Air Deccan, and Air Sahara.
With insights from decades of reporting, Ashwini reveals what really went wrong behind the scenes: the missed mergers, regulatory lapses, and boardroom decisions that changed the course of Indian aviation. Plus, what makes IndiGo the rare outlier—and what Air India must urgently fix if it wants to win back fliers and trust. A must-listen for anyone tracking the past, present, and future of Indian skies.
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✍️ Zinal Dedhia, Salman SH, Kudrat Wadhwa | ✂️ Rohini Chatterji | 🎧 Joshua Thomas