GECs
First ever Indian TV Scriptwriters Workshop in Mumbai on 20-21 December
The Indian television industry’s first ever Scriptwriters Workshop and Forum, Qalam 2001, will be held in Mumbai on 20-21 December.
Conceived by Indian Television Dot Com Pvt Ltd as the first event of Qalam, a TV Scriptwriters forum, the workshop will provide attendees an insight into the rudiments of scriptwriting, character development, dialogue writing, the process of getting scripts approved by TV producers and channels, and the pitfalls in the business.
Endorsed by the Film Producers’ Guild of India and backed by Balaji Telefilms, Sony Entertainment Television, Star India and B.A.G. Films, the two-day workshop will be unique for the interactivity that has been built into it. Exercises will be allotted to attendees on which they will be provided feedback. For the first time, an eminent scriptwriter and instructor from the Vancouver Film School (Canada), Joyce Thierry is coming down to India to conduct the workshop in co-ordination with leading Indian scriptwriters. Among the eminent film and TV personalities who will address participants are filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, scriptwriters Dr Achala Nagar, Anjana Sood, Ashwani Dhir, Ila Bedi Dutta, Mir Muneer, Rajesh Joshi, Vipul D Shah, Raman Kumar, Vinta Nanda, former Sony programming head Rekha Nigam and actor turned producer Soni Razdan.
The workshop will end with a big bash and a special networking session on the evening of 21 December. Indiantelevision.com is aiming to present a select bunch of bright scriptwriters who will emerge out of the two-day gruelling sessions to the television industry, thus offering a unique opportunity for budding writers to showcase their talents and meet people who count within television -programming heads from TV channels, executive producers, creative directors from production houses and directors. The workshop will be held at Time & Again, Banquet Hall in the northern Mumbai suburb of Andheri (W).
Says Thierry: “I am so excited about the prospect of interacting with Indian scriptwriters. I have been conducting workshops in Canada for some years now and I am looking forward to this experience.”
Adds Star Plus creative director Deepak Segal: “Writing is integral to our existence in television because that’s from where our content flows. If you want an engineer you go to an engineering school, but where do you go if you want a scriptwriter? We decided to back Qalam 2001 because it is a first of its kind endeavour to develop writing talent and needs encouragement.”
Adds Balaji Telefilms CEO Sanjay Dosi: “The script is the soul of any programme and it is a very creditable step by indiantelevision.com to promote scriptwriters and help them in honing their writing skills and it would go a long way in promoting new talent. The industry needs such kind of initiatives.”
Information and television services company Indian Television Dot Com Pvt Ltd has earlier held the Indian Telly Awards 2001, the first ever television industry awards held in July this year. Says indiantelevision.com founder & CEO Anil Wanvari: “There is a paucity of trained television scriptwriters in India. This is a plaint I have often heard from the TV industry. After the Indian Telly Awards 2001, Qalam 2001 is an effort from our company to start what we hope will become de rigueur in television – training.”
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.
