Awards
‘Jassi’ dazzles at FPGI’s Apsara awards
MUMBAI: The Apsara awards organised by the Film Producers Guild Awards were termed as an honour to the television and film fraternity by its own peers. Held at Grand Hyatt on 29 May, the first ever film and television awards by FPGI boasted of glamour and glitz, unfortunately none from the telly industry.
Although Star Plus might still be the number one channel, it was the number two channel- Sony Entertainment Television that stole the thunder.
The television awards, which were flagged off first, had Sony basking in glory as it bagged as many as five awards (see the winners’ List) for its top show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin produced by Tony and Deeya Singh.But it was hardly surprising that the night belonged to Sony Entertainment Television as there was not a single nomination for the most watched shows on Star Plus Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kahiin To Hoga . Surprisingly, TRPs Star Plus’ top shows are nearly three times what Sony registers with its most watched show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin.
SET India executive vice president and business head Sunil Lulla walked up the stage to receive the award for the best marketing. Grinning from ear to ear he offered on his acceptance speech, “I am glad that our team work has paid off. We all are happy and excited. Our efforts made a distinctive difference and we are proud of it.”
Mona ‘Jassi’ Singh could hardly conceal her excitement when she was asked to say a few words. She was almost out of breath.
SAB TV and Eagle Video Films’ Office Office romped home with three awards, NDTV that had telecast the event live- won two awards: the best factual/non fiction programme award for the Big Story for Afghanistan TV and the best News anchoring by Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai.
Sardesai’s acceptance speech drew loud cheers. In his speech, he requested the journalist to maintain integrity, “I am pained to see that there is no integrity amongst journalists,” he remarked.
However, the loudest cheers went up for Tony and Deeya Singh who walked up to receive the award for the best drama series, clearly showing that the couple enjoys high respect in the industry and outside it.
Balaji Telefilms was honoured as the best production house, which Jeetendra went up stage to receive. Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, who normally do attend award functions were conspicuous by their absence. Neither was Aroona Irani whose serial Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand on Star Plus bagged the award for the best title music.
A special award was declared for Subhash Chandra for ushering in the cable and satellite revolution on Indian television.
But surprisingly, very few actors from the TV industry attended the functions. Either they were too busy, or they were just not interested because there were only 13 categories in TV industry to be awarded. Had it not been from the film industry, the absence of glamour would have stood out like a sore thumb.
Award list:
BEST ACTRESS IN TELEVISION SERIES
Mona Singh – Jasmeet Walia (Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, DJ’s A Creative Unit)
BEST ACTRESS BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
Mona Singh – Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin (DJ’s A Creative Unit)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Tenali Rama (Crest Communication Ltd)
BEST FACTUAL / NON-FICTION
Big Story – Afghanistan (NDTV)
BEST NEWS ANCHOR
Rajdeep Sardesai / Barkha Dutt (NDTV)
BEST DIRECTOR FOR TELEVISION SERIES
Rohit Khanna (Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin)
BEST ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES
Pankaj Kapoor (Office Office, Eagle Video Films)
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin (DJ’s A Creative Unit)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Office Office (Eagle Video Films)
BEST TITLE SONG
Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand (AK Films Pvt Ltd)
BEST MUSICAL SHOW
Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (Zee Telefilms Ltd)
Film awards:
BEST SCREENPLAY
Vidhu Vinod Chopra/Rajkumar Hirani /Lajan Joseph (Munnabhai MBBS)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anil Mehta (Kal Ho Na Ho)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Muneesh Sappel (Pinjar)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jaya Bachchan (Kal Ho Na Ho)
BEST LYRICS
Javed Akhtar – Kal Ho Na Ho (Kal Ho Na Ho)
BEST ART DESIGN
Muneesh Sappel – (Pinjar)
BEST MUSIC
Shankar – Ehsaan – Loy – (Kal Ho Na Ho)
BEST FEMALE PLAYBACK SINGER
Alka Yagnik – Oodhni (Tere Naam)
BEST MALE PLAYBACK SINGER
Sonu Nigan – Kal Ho Na Ho (Kal Ho Na Ho)
BEST EDITING
Rajkumar Hirani (Munnabhai MBBS)
BEST SOUND RECORDING
Dwarak Warrier (Bhoot)
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Bimmini Special FX Digital Art Media (Koi… Mil Gaya)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Pankaj Kapoor (Maqbool)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Hrithik Roshan (Koi Mil Gaya)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Urmila Matondkar (Bhoot)
BEST DIRECTOR
Rakesh Roshan (Koi Mil Gaya)
BEST FILM
Filmkraft Productions (I) Pvt Ltd (Koi Mil Gaya)
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.
