GECs
Shemaroo fortifies its leadership team with two more appointments
Mumbai: Shemaroo, India’s media and entertainment powerhouse, has announced the appointment of two more key executives to further strengthen its leadership team. Arpit Mankar has been appointed as head – non-Bollywood category and Abhishek Joshi will be head of ShemarooMe, the OTT platform of Shemaroo.
As head of Non-Bollywood Category, Mankar will be responsible for developing an overarching content strategy for various regions in India and abroad. Mankar comes with over 20 years of experience in the media & entertainment industry, having worked in leadership roles at Star India Pvt. Ltd., Sony – AXN Networks and Reliance group. In his last stint at Disney-Star, he served in key positions including head of programming strategy for Star Plus and general manager – Star Bharat, responsible for delivering viewership and profitability targets for the Hindi GEC. In this new role, he will be reporting to Shemaroo COO Arghya Chakravarty, and will be a part of the executive committee.
Joshi will be overseeing the strategy, planning and operations of the platform. He will be responsible for driving revenue, subscriber acquisition and will be leading a team of cross-functional executives to maximize growth. In his last role, Joshi was the business head of SVOD & head of business partnerships at MX Player. Through his career spanning more than two decades he has worked with leading M&E players like Sony Pictures Networks India, Zenga Media Pvt. Ltd. (ZengaTV), Reliance Big Pictures, Sony Liv & ABP Group. He will be reporting to digital business COO Zubin Dubash.
Chakravarty said, “We are excited to onboard Abhishek and Arpit in our leadership team at Shemaroo. Their proven track record and diverse skill sets will be invaluable assets as we continue to drive growth and innovation across various B2C businesses. I extend my heartiest congratulations and wish them great success in their new roles.”
Shemaroo is committed to fostering a culture of innovation and excellence, and these new seasoned industry leaders are a testament to that commitment. The company is excited to onboard Mankar and Joshi and watch them thrive in their career at Shemaroo.
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.
