GECs
Ajay Bhalwankar to join MSM’s Sony Entertainment Television from 7 April
MUMBAI: Almost a month-and-a-half ago, Indiatelevision.com reported that one of Zee Entertainment’s most cherished employs, Ajay Bhalwankar, has put in his papers as the content head-Hindi GECs. Now, it is learnt that he is joining Sony Entertainment Television as the chief creative director, effective from 7 April, 2014.
Bhalwankar will report to Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Sr. Executive Vice President and Business Head, Nachiket Pantvaidya. He will provide creative leadership and direction for the channel and will lead the Programming and OAP teams.
He said, “I’m delighted to join SET again and hope to provide valuable programming inputs across content on the channel. It is an extremely challenging role and I am looking forward to this exciting journey.”
Bhalwankar is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience and has worked with MSM in the past as the programming head for SET from November 2009 to June 2011.
Interestingly, earlier we even reported that Sony is trying to strengthen its team by bringing in the best people from the industry. This seems to be a step ahead towards that.
Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “Ajay is an extremely experienced individual with a rich experience of over 20 years in Journalism and Television, spanning various roles of creating, writing, programming, producing and directing entertainment content. Under Ajay’s leadership I am confident that we will make the right strides towards our vision of best in class content for SET.”
According to inside sources, Bhalwankar’s last date at Zee entertainment is 21 March, 2014.
Bhalwankar joined Zee Entertainment in 1994 as the assistant director of Dream Merchants – the company’s advertising and marketing magazine. As one of the oldest employees of Zee, Bhalwankar has been instrumental in creating path-breaking content for the network. He also spearheaded the launch of Zee Anmol. He was also instrumental in launching Music Asia that later became Zee Muzic and is now called Zing. He even worked on the launch of Zee Marathi in 1999. He later became Zee Marathi’s business head and then vice president of Zee Marathi and Zee Talkies. He took charge as the programming head of Zee in 2008. Bhalwankar had then quit from Zee in October 2009 to join Sony Entertainment at the same position. However, after a brief stint, he left Sony to join back Zee.
Now, Bhalwankar is again moving back to Sony. We hope he will be instrumental in bringing back the channel that has been struggling in the ratings chart to the top position.
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.
