Research is the backbone of Universities: Faizal Kottikollon
KEF Holdings establishes R&D Centre at MIT, Manipal
Manipal, Dec 15: “India is growing and the platform for nation building is a university. And, for the universities to move forward, the backbone is research,” said Mr Faizal E. Kottikollon, Founder and Chairman, KEF Holdings, UAE after inaugurating the MIT-KEF R&D Centre at Manipal Institute of Technology here on Saturday.
The Centre is the brainchild of Mr Faizal an alumnus of MIT.
It was in 2012 that when he came to attend a alumni reunion , he shared the idea of starting a research centre for pre-fabricated building material with Manipal Academy of Higher Education. That idea took birth today with the inauguration of the first phase.
The Centre is a joint venture between MAHE and KEF Holdings, UAE, a multinational company that specializes in innovative offsite construction technology. The total investment for the Centre is worth Rs.16 crores with equal contributions from both partners.
The R&D Centre has been established under the aegis of Faizal and Shabana Foundation.
Later, at the valedictory of the two-day 3rd Global Alumni meet of Manipal Academy of Higher Education at KMC Greens, Mr Faizal and his wife, Ms Shabana were felicitated.
The concept of “manufacturing buildings” was brought to India by KEF in 2014. They established office in Bangalore and have since designed several buildings. All Indira Canteens in Karnataka have been designed and built by KEF.
“The idea is to design and then manufacture the components in a factory environment. We introduce robotics into this industry. And in the last three years we have grown by million dollars. For me it is a great opportunity to involve my team and your professors here and bring this concept to reality. If we can manufacture aircraft and cars, why not buildings,” Mr Faizal reasoned.
It takes years to make building, but this concept is much faster. For example he said, “This building is of 50,000 square feet and after designing and manufacturing, it can be built in about two months,” he said.
The Centre aims at providing a cutting-edge research and development facility to upcoming Civil Engineering and Architecture students. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art prestressing lab along with material testing lab.
Director MIT, Dr Srikanth Rao welcomed the gathering and said, “We look forward for the research work to start and for the results of research to benefit students and faculty. Present on the occasion were Mrs Vasanti R Pai, Trustee MAHE Trust and wife of Chancellor, Dr Ramdas M Pai, Dr Ranjan Pai, Chairman, MEMG, Bengaluru, Pro Chancellor, Dr H.S. Ballal, Vice Chancellor, Dr H Vinod Bhat Shabana Faizal, Co Founder and Vice Chairperson of KEF Holdings and other officials of the MAHE and KEF Holdings including the CEO of KEF, Mr Richard Pattle.
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JioHotstar to invest Rs 4,000 crore for South Indian content push; unveils 25-title slate
Chennai (PTI): Streaming service JioHotstar on Tuesday announced that it will invest Rs 4,000 crore over the next five years to strengthen South India’s creative economy, unveiling a 25-title slate as part of a major push for regional content.
In one of the biggest announcements by an Indian streaming platform for the southern markets, the company showcased its “South Unbound” vision at a high-profile event here.
Sushant Sreeram, Head – SVOD Business & Chief Marketing Officer at JioStar, said the investment forms part of a broader collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government.
“Earlier today, JioHotstar formalised a Letter of Intent with the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Chief Minister M K Stalin. This outlines a shared commitment to invest in talent, expand infrastructure and build a future-ready creative economy from the South.
"As part of this vision, JioHotstar will invest Rs 4,000 crore to nurture creators, strengthen the production ecosystem and build a pipeline of stories that are ready for India and ready for the world,” he said.
Calling South India the “heartbeat of Indian storytelling”, Sreeram said the investment signalled the platform’s long-term commitment to local creators.
"JioHotstar started as a dream — to build entertainment rooted in India’s storytelling heritage and powered by cutting-edge technology. The resplendent storytelling traditions of the South motivate us to keep championing authentic, rooted narratives while offering greater accessibility and choices for every viewer," he said.
The event was attended by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, veteran actor and MP Kamal Haasan, senior state officials, and leading stars and filmmakers from across the southern industries.
Deputy CM Stalin said the partnership will generate “1,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs”.
“Cinema in Tamil Nadu has always been a force for social change. OTT is not replacing cinema; it is expanding it. Today, a filmmaker in Madurai or Salem can upload a story and reach audiences across the world. The cultural and economic impact of this partnership will be massive," he added.
aasan said Indian media and entertainment was undergoing a fundamental transformation driven not by technology alone, but by the audience itself.
“We gather at a moment when India’s media and entertainment is not merely growing, it is transforming. For the first time, this shift is not driven by device or format, but by the audience itself,” he said, adding that storytelling today is “screen agnostic”.
“Regional is becoming the new national, and ethnic the new international. Stories born in Madurai, Malappuram or Machilipatnam are no longer regional cinema; they are national cultural events,” Haasan said, giving the example of movies such as “Kantara”, “Drishyam”, “Baahubali”, “Pushpa” and Tamil hits like “Vikram”.
The event was also attended by Mohanlal, Nagarjuna, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Aishwarya Rajesh and others -- along with directors Jeethu Joseph and Ahammed Khabeer
The streamer's ambitious content slate, unveiled as part of its “South Unbound” initiative, includes sequels to blockbuster franchises, new long-format shows, films, adaptations, and high-engagement reality formats.
The Tamil slate features a mix of returning favourites and new originals, led by "Bigg Boss Tamil", now hosted by Vijay Sethupathi, and "Good Wife S2", the legal drama starring Priyamani.
The lineup also includes "LBW – Love Beyond Wicket", a relationship drama; the family comedy "Cousins and Kalyanams"; the psychological drama "Resort"; and "Heartbeat S3", which brings back Anumol, Karthik Kumar and Deepa Balu.
Other Tamil offerings include "Lingam", an action-drama; "Love Always", a multigenerational love story; the marquee title "Kaattaan" starring Vijay Sethupathi and Milind Soman; and "Second Love", a non-fiction relationship series.
In Telugu, the platform returns with "Bigg Boss Telugu" hosted by Nagarjuna, alongside new originals such as "Moodu Lantharlu" starring Aishwarya Rajesh; the police procedural "Vikram on Duty"; "Varam", a mystical relationship drama; and the hit comedy-drama "Save The Tigers S3" with Chaitanya Krishna.
The slate further includes "Vishakha", the Telugu adaptation of "Aarya" led by Kajal Aggarwal; the relationship-based non-fiction format "Mad for Each Other"; and the Telugu debut of the iconic adventure franchise "Roadies".
From Malayalam, the platform brings back "Bigg Boss Malayalam" hosted by Mohanlal; "Kerala Crime Files S3" featuring Aju Varghese; the mystery drama "Secret Stories: Roslin"; "Anali", "1000 Babies S2" with Neena Gupta and Rahman; and the hard-hitting drama "Pharma" starring Nivin Pauly.
The Kannada lineup includes "Bigg Boss Kannada" hosted by Kichcha Sudeepa; "Batchmates", a nostalgic friendship drama; and the food-and-humour-based non-fiction series "Comedy Cooks".
Across languages, the platform also announced new films such as "Lucky The Superstar", featuring GV Prakash, Anaswara Rajan and Meghna Sumesh, and "Kenatha Kaanom", positioned as broad-appeal mainstream entertainers.
