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Shemaroo hires Sandeep Gupta to head broadcast business
MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment, India’s leading content powerhouse, has announced the appointment of Sandeep Gupta as COO – broadcasting business. This comes at a time as the company announced its strategic entry into broadcast business with two channel launches – Shemaroo TV, the flagship Hindi GEC and the Marathi movie channel Shemaroo MarathiBana. With this move, Shemaroo will consolidate its entire broadcast offerings under the able leadership of Sandeep Gupta.
Sandeep has played an instrumental role in Shemaroo’s entry into the broadcast business to power its next growth phase. Before joining Shemaroo Entertainment, Sandeep has been the India CFO & COO – broadcasting business at B4U Television Network India Limited, where he played a significant role in scaling up and turning around the broadcasting business with improved market credibility and brand image, along with a couple of television channel launches.
Shemaroo also announced key appointments and restructuring to focus on the broadcast business.
Subhash Somani, deputy vice president, has helped scale Shemaroo DTH VAS business to newer heights and will now take additional charge of Shemaroo TV. Subhash will oversee the entire business for Shemaroo TV – content production & planning and channel distribution among others. Subhash comes with a rich experience of 10 years in the media sector, where he has driven business strategies, alliances and partnerships along with content production and other building block functions for many organizations. Prior to making a move to Shemaroo, Subhash was associated with Videocon d2h.
Vivek Koka, assistant vice president, who heads the Bollywood category, will now be given additional responsibility of leading the Marathi movie channel ‘Shemaroo MarathiBana’. As a business professional of 17 years, Vivek has varied experience across broadcasting, DTH & telecom. In his last assignment, he led the marketing function for channels such as &pictures, &pictures HD, Zee Classic & Zee Anmol. Prior to Zee, he worked with leading brands such as Tata Sky & Tata Docomo handling leadership roles across key strategic functions.
With a clear focus in the broadcast business, its agenda will be led by some of the finest minds in the television space and hence on the programming front Shemaroo has announced key hires.
Rakesh Jain, programming head, will be responsible for the programming and creative development of the Hindi GEC, Shemaroo TV and will work closely with the team to strengthen the channel’s position. He comes with over 18 years of experience in the media space where he has led the programming teams from inception stage and launched two successful Hindi GECs. He has also been instrumental in creating channel driver properties for Star group, ZEE group and Turner group from the broadcasting ecosystem.
Yojana Bahalkar Bhave, deputy general manager, will lead programming for Marathi movie channel Shemaroo MarathiBana. She comes with over 15 years of experience in the GEC and non-GEC space and has worked with leading brands like Zee Talkies, Colors Marathi, 9X Media, Music India, ETV Marathi etc. She was instrumental in launching 9X Jhakaas, first Marathi music channel and revamping of Zee Talkies. Yojana has vast experience in non-fiction programming and has worked on various TV show formats like music shows, reality shows, adventure and youth shows, multi-entertainment television shows and film award shows.
Both the progamming leads bring on board an in-depth experience and a strong understanding of content curation that will be crucial in developing the broadcast portfolio for the company. With these new hires, Shemaroo has elevated the entertainment quotient for their newly launched Shemaroo TV and its audiences.
Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada said: "Shemaroo’s DNA has been to constantly evolve with the changing times and pre-empt market shifts and adopt unconventional approaches for an accelerated growth. Our endeavor has always been to build a future ready organisation with distinct capabilities and a distinctive culture with an emphasis on developing internal talent. This new structure will power us as we enter our next growth phase.” While congratulating Sandeep Gupta on the appointment, he said, “Sandeep is one of those rare leaders in our industry who possess a sharp business acumen coupled with great insights on the pulse of the audiences. I am confident that he will be able to take our television offerings to greater heights as he leverages his experience of successfully building large scale television businesses.”
Sandeep Gupta said: "Shemaroo is an established and homegrown name in the entertainment industry, entertaining consumers from the last 57 years. The company is constantly experimenting and tapping into many new businesses, and has always disrupted the archaic norms. It’s an exciting time to be a part of such a dynamic team at Shemaroo, while embracing the culture and bringing the best to the vision and leadership. I look forward to working with the teams here, and make significant contribution by making the category a household name. “
Shemaroo is all set for a new innings in the broadcast space and has laced itself with all the ingredients required to be the top choice of the viewers.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
