GECs
Sakshi quits ‘Devi’; to be replaced by Juhi Parmar
MUMBAI: Has walking out of female leads in title roles become a recurring problem for Sony Entertainment Television? After Nausheen Ali Sardar kicked Kkusum, yet another female lead in the title role has done the same. Sakshi Tanwar who plays the title role in Sony’s mytho-socio drama Devi has quit the serial.
Indiantelevision.com had got the buzz (Read Telly Chakkar, May 15) that Tanwar was locked up and ready to move out and had quizzed her about the same. But Tanwar had just laughed it off and said, “No comments. I will speak about this at the right time.” However, now it’s official!
When contacted today morning, she said, “Yes, finally it has happened. But I wouldn’t like to go into the details and make a big issue of this,” she replied gracefully, adding, “It was a mutual decision between the production house and the channel. The parting was amicablle.”
It may be recalled that even when Ekta Kapoor created an interesting turn of events (identity crisis between Parvati Aggarwal and Swati Dixit) in Kahaanii Ghar Ghar Kii recently, Tanwar chose to keep a very low profile.
The buzz doing the rounds is that Tanwar was unhappy with the way show was shaping up. She wanted the show to focus on her original character of Gayatri, the housewife. She did not want to be portrayed as a goddess and an incarnation of Durga. There was too much focus on magical and divine powers which had converted the whole story into a directionless facade, she thought. This all had increased after Aman Varma had stepped in and the show timings had been extended to an hour, when Henna reached the last page of its book.
Juhi Parmar, who plays the title role in Star Plus’s afternoon soap Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan (which is rocking at the moment), has stepped into Tanwar’s sandals.
Parmar, who was shooting in Raigad for the show, is back in Mumbai. The buzz is that Parmar will make her entry as Kalika and the character of Devi will be phased out.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com this morning, Parmar was pretty tight-lipped. All she would say, “I have started shooting for Devi. Sony is planning a great entry for me. I am sorry but I have been strictly told not to open my mouth on the details of my character. Give me a week’s time before I tell you about it.”
Devi, produced by Ajay Devgan and Misha Gautam, lately changed hands in direction department too. Not so long ago, when Aman Varma entered and the focus shifted to ‘jaado vaado’, the well acclaimed Anant Mahadevan who was holding the reins gave way to Ravi.
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.
