GECs
Hearing on ‘Time Bomb’ adjourned to 27 June
MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday adjourned till Monday, 27 June, the hearing of the case filed by Twentieth Century Fox, seeking an injunction against Zee TV telecasting its Rs 110 million thriller Time Bomb.
The US producer, in a suit filed on 17 June, had alleged that the Zee serial has copied the concept of its ongoing TV serial 24.
Justice Anil Kumar today heard the arguments of RK Anand for Twentieth Century Fox and Arun Jaitley for Zee Telefilms. Anand urged the Court to seek Time Bomb CDs for a comparative study of the two serials.
Anand submitted that Zee Telefilms is required to produce all the CDs of its serial shot so far to the court to verify whether it had copied the script, storyline and the characterisation of the serial 24 as alleged in the lawsuit.
Responding to the submission, justice Kumar said he would pass an appropriate order on the plea on the next hearing on 27 June.
Arguing for the Indian broadcasting network today, Jaitley tried to counter the two main arguments Twentieth Century Fox had presented. Fox had made the copyright infringement allega
tions against Time Bomb based on two factors: Firstly, the company argued that Time Bomb inherited 24’s real time format. It said, like 24, Time Bomb was also following the screen time. The second one was on the split-screen technology which Time Bomb used. Twentieth Century Fox had argued that the copyright to the creative innovation belonged to the company, since it was the first one to launch such a technique.
“Jaitley defended Time Bomb’s using of such techniques by arguing that, these kind of innovations are nobody’s monopoly since they are enabled and developed by the advancement of technology. Since it is part of the technology, it is in the public domain,” Zee Telefilms’ counsel Maninder Singh told indiantelevision.com.
Jaitley also brought to the court’s attention to various shows that make use of the same innovations. He picked up examples in Sony’s thriller CID Special Bureau, which uses the splitscreen technique, various news and current affairs shows and many movies. According to Singh, Time Bomb’s writer-producer-director Ketan Mehta has already used this technique in his 1985 movie Mirch Masala.
During the hearing, the Zee counsel also expressed his client’s willingness to produce the CDs/DVDs of these shows for the court to have a look at. Jaitley will continue his arguments on 27 June. With the court refusing to order an injunction against the launch, Time Bomb debuted on Zee TV on 20 June.
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.
