Awards
Dubai-based businessman steps forward to pay for auctioned Zee trophy
MUMBAI: It was a charity auction that had threatened to go horribly wrong after the highest bidder backed out when “reality struck”.
Fortunately, the Zee Cine Awards organizers have been saved the blushes after Anoop Singh, a Dubai-based Indian businessman, stepped forward and agreed to cough up the Dhs450,000 that had been pledged during the charity auction that was one of the highlights of the event held on 26 March 2004. The money was to go to St Anthony’s Home for the Aged in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb.
Bollywood bad boy Salman Khan, who did the honours while exhorting the crowd “to show how rich Dubai is”, certainly was not expecting one of its rich and star-struck NRI sons to do the cop out act. If the sight of the muscled Khan embracing Rajesh Dhanak, who comes from a family of wealthy jewellers in this “city of gold” , was one of the climatic moments of the show. The anticlimax was the news of Dhanak backing out.
According to the Dubai-based Gulf News, Singh, who had planned to buy himself a new Mercedes Benz with the money, decided to pitch in because the mistake in the auction threatened to “leave a sour taste” not only as regards the image of the auction but the whole Indian community in Dubai.
“I do not need the trophy. I suggest that the trophy remains with Zee and that in the next Zee Cine awards it should be brought up again for auctioning starting from Dhs 450,000. This way so many of the poor and needy would get the assistance they deserve,” Gulf News has quoted Singh as saying.
When contacted, Zee Network special projects director Yogesh Radhakrishnan confirmed that Singh’s offer would be accepted. Initial media reports had said that there were five possible candidates who would pool in to make up the amount.
The Zee Cine Trophy that Dhanak received from Salman Khan has a 24-carat gold Zee insignia on it. It is 500 mm high and 100 mm wide and has been designed by the Australian Gold Mine’s Citigold Corp.
As for the overnight hero who turned out to be a zero, he reportedly belongs to the family that runs Chetan Jewellers located at Old Gold Souk Deira, Dubai. It is one of Dubai’s finest gold stores.
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
