GECs
Disney Star reshuffles top brass; Gaurav Banerjee’s role expanded
Mumbai: Disney Star has reorganised its leadership team by expanding Gaurav Banerjee’s role and implementing various organisational changes. This occurred over a two-month period following the resignation of Kevin Vaz as head of Network Entertainment Channels.
According to an internal email from K Madhavan (country manager and president, Disney Star), Banerjee will now be in charge of Star Bharat, the Hindi and English Movies cluster, Kids & Infotainment, and the regional portfolio (East), which includes Star Jalsha and Star Kiran, in addition to leading Content Studio for TV and Disney+ Hotstar. Banerjee will keep Madhavan informed about his development.
Krishnan Kutty will now serve as the business and content head for the entire South & Marathi regional portfolio, which includes Star Suvarna, Star Maa, Asianet, Star Vijay, Star Pravah, and D+ H Regional Specials for these markets. He shall report to Madhavan, too.
Sumanta Bose will continue to lead content for Star Plus, Star Jalsha, and Disney+ Hotstar Hindi Specials, reporting to Banerjee with an additional line of reporting to Sajith Sivanandan, who is the head of Disney+ Hotstar. He will also continue to serve as the business head for Star Plus and Star Utsav, reporting directly to Madhavan.
Alok Jain, who was in charge of Star Maa, Star Jalsha, Star Kiran, and Star Suvarna, has decided to call it a day.
Mani Rangarajan will also assume full responsibility for these tasks for the network in addition to managing technology and operations for the Disney cluster. As a result, Gajendra Tijare, who is the head of broadcast technology & operations, and Vivek Dhaimade, head of traffic & presentation, will report to him.
In addition to her current position as head of creative communications, Minakshi Achan will also be in charge of social listening. She will receive reports from Disney Star executive director Venke Sharma.
All alterations will be effective immediately.
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.
