GECs
Zee announces film ‘Race’ with ‘Cinestar Ki Khoj’ winners
MUMBAI: Zee’s first ever Bollywood talent hunt had organised a grand finale in Mumbai, on 29 November 2004. And amidst a glitterati event held at Goregaon Sports Club, Sarwar Ahuja from Hyderabad and Aditi Sharma from Lucknow were crowned as India’s Best. But their actual journey towards stardom begins now with the baton in director Sudhir Mishra and producer Nitin Keni’s hand.
The chosen two who were being groomed till now will be introduced to the daily grind of silver screen. Zee will be producing two movies, on a budget of Rs 100 million. At the occasion, Zee Telefilms formally announced the launch of its new movie Race with winners of India Best, Sarwar and Aditi.
The event also saw canning of a mahurat shot, with film star Hrithik Roshan giving the clap shot, producer Smitha Thackery breaking the auspicious coconut and producer director Ashutosh Gowarikar directing the first shot of the movie.
As for now, India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj’s grand final will be telecast on 3 December 2004 at 9 PM on Zee TV.
Zee TV’s India’s Best-Cinestar Ki Khoj finale saw some eminent personalities from the film and television industry, like Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Jagjit Singh, Boman Irani, Amrita Rao, Sachin, Kulraj Kaur (Kareena Kareena fame), Niki Aneja Walia amongst the others. Mrs. Smitha Thackery, Brijmohan Munjal (Managing Director – Hero Honda), Punit Goenka (Director – Zee Telefilms) and Amit Goenka (Director – Zee Telefilms) attending.
Commenting on the success of the India’s Best, Zee TV business head, Abhijit Saxena, as quoted in the release said, “With India’s Best, Zee TV has achieved yet another milestone. History has been created on the path untrodden. Today this grand ceremony brings an end to the hunt for India’s Best and the birth of the two new superstars in the Hindi film industry.”
“It has been our endeavor to connect with viewers, be it through our programmes or ground activities. But for the first time ever the activity of this magnitude with a perfect combination of both on and off air has been conducted. We look forward to provide more entertainment for our viewers and also ensuring that we contribute to the society in some way or the other,” he added.
While the evening was hosted by Roshan Abbas and Rakshanda Khan, the show flow saw the winners performing. Ganesh Acharya – ‘the acharya of dancing’ gave a live performance. With all the 32 finalists present to perform live the audiences were in for a treat. They cheered constantly for all there favorite contestants.
The jury comprising Sudhir Mishra, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ken Ghosh, Satish Kaushik, Vivek Vaswani, Vikram Phadnis, Ahmed Khan, Ganesh Acharya and Shiamak Davar helped to zero down the 32 finalist to the final two.
The other celebrities who attended the show were directors like N. Chandra, Sachin, Ajai Sinha, Ayub and Niharika Khan, Ketan Mehta.
Here is the complete list of the winners
India’s Best Male
Sarwar Ahuja (Hyderabad)
India’s Best Female
Aditi Sharma (Lucknow)
India’s Best Face
Male – Bhoumik Sampat
Female – Yuvika Choudhary
India’s Best Screen Personalities
Male – Vipul Roy
Female – Sudeepa Singh
India’s Best Dancer
Male – Abhishek Awasthi
Female – Ankita Lokhande and Amruta Khanwilkar
India’s Best performance in comic
Male – Vishal and Naveen Sen
Female – Priti Ameen
India’s Best Screen Pair
Bhoumik Sampat and Yuvika Choudhary
India’s Best Most Popular Contestant
Male- Mohit Dagga
Female – Aditi Sharma
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.
