GECs
‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ sweeps Samsung IIFA technical awards
MUMBAI: Kal Ho Na Ho has bagged six out of 14 of the technical category awards at the Samsung IIFA technical awards section. Other winners include Koi Mil Gaya, Munnabhai MBBS and L.O.C Kargil.
The IIFA award ceremony is to be held at Singapore Indoor Stadium on 23 April 2004.
The technical award winners were decided through voting by the Indian film industry and the results were strictly monitored, collated and tabulated by the internationally reputed audit firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
The unique voting system used in IFFA, involving film industry voting for their peers, is similar only to the Academy Awards.
The IFFA voting weekend was held from 16 to 18 February 2004, at J W Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai. To ensure greater participation, IIFA used mobile voting booths mounted in vans. They also chose different voting processes related to various segments of the film industry, says an official release.
The voting process saw participation of bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, J.P Dutta, Pehlaj Nihalani, Ramesh Sippy and David Dhawan among others.
For the first time, this year’s award ceremony is going to be staged at the Lion City Singapore. The IIFA awards has a record of holding the ceremony at some of the world’s most picturesque venues.
To be telecasted by Sony Entertainment Television on 23 May 2004, around 1.5 billion people are expected to catch the event on TV.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
