GECs
‘The Pitch’ season 3 kicks off tomorrow
MUMBAI: After seeing two successful seasons of ‘The Pitch’, the third season is back with its set of ten entrepreneurs. About 5000 entries were received which finally boiled down to ten. The entries were selected by jury members- Mahesh Murty, Vishal Gondal and Neeraj Roy.
Presented by Reliance Commercial Finance and powered by Hyundai, the show which kicks off tomorrow (27 September) will be aired at 10: 30 pm on Fridays. Big Daddy Productions are the concept partners. The winner will receive up to Rs five crore from Seedfund as a push to his venture. This amount is decided by the investors depending on the requirements of the business.
The format this year has been slightly changed. According to a UTV official the past two seasons saw a huge number of entries from the entrepreneurs who had already started their ventures and were looking for funds to grow their businesses. The channel discussed this with the Seedfund team and a joint decision was taken to focus on entrepreneurs with existing businesses.
This year, the contestants are established entrepreneurs who will compete to win the prize money that will assist their project. Some of them include CvBhejo.com founder Nilesh Tayal that helps recruit local talent for local jobs, Pandurang Taware who set up agriculture tourism and Sudeepa Sanyal who found The Blueberry Trail to help people travel to offbeat locations.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
