GECs
BAG Films 10th anniversary bash attracts political, film and TV bigwigs
MUMBAI: 10 years old and it was a time to celebrate. BAG Films’ 10th anniversary party held in Mumbai’s Taj Land’s End clearly showed the kind of goodwill the husband wife promoter duo Anuradha Prasad and Rajiv Shukla have in the television, film and political fraternities.
The party was attended by some political heavyweights including Sharad Yadav (who had flown in specially from Delhi), Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Babbar, among others. The film fraternity had representation from film stars Jackie Shroff, Shah Rukh Khan, and directors Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai and Fahad Samar. The business community saw the presence of Neeta Ambani, among several others.
It was the television industry which came out in full force: Zee TV chairman Subhash Chandra, Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, Star India COO Sameer Nair, programming head Tarun Katial, Star News chief Ravina Raj Kohli, Sony Entertainment head Sunil Lulla, creative director Saurabh Vanzara, director Sanjay Upadhyay, producers Manish Goswami, Ronnie Screwvala, Vipul D Shah and Sanjeev Sharma, Dheeraj Kumar, Vinta Nanda, Rekha Nigam, Gajra Kottary, among others.
The TV acting community which turned up in numbers included Yash Tonk, Ali Asgar, Saakshi Tanwar, Rupali Ganguli, Gurpreet Kohli, Reeta Bhaduri, Juhi Parmar, Amit Behl, Simone Singh, Urvashi Dholakia, Aseem Sharma, Shweta Keswani, Kiran Karmakar.
Anuradha, in her remarks, thanked several individuals who have more than believed in the BAG Films vision and have lent a hand in its success climb. Among these figured Subhash Chandra, Peter Mukerjea, Shatrughan Sinha and Kunal Dasgupta.
The celebrations began with a show-reel of BAG Films’ achievements, and was followed by Anuradha and her well-wishers cutting a cake, shaped like a Number 10, to loud cheers from friends.
The production house is raising funds through an IPO for setting up captive production and post production facilities and for a media school on the outskirts of Delhi.
That is for the future. For the nonce even as this piece was being written, the party was rocking at Land’s End. And it looked like the celebration would not end soon.
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.
