GECs
‘Mahabharat,’ ‘Devon Ke Dev Mahadev’ &’Naagin’ successful in China, audience longing for more
MUMBAI: Life is stranger than fiction. Dreams sometimes are more real than reality. Political tiffs between India and China notwithstanding, it’s business as usual and more for the media and entertainment industry. The Indian mythological television dramas like ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Nagin’ and ‘Devon Ke Dev Mahadev’ are turning out to be highly successful with the Chinese audience.
The Chinese audience is however no stranger to imported content in terms of dramas, especially from countries including the US, South Korea, Japan and the UK. Indian stories are new to them, but they are gaining popularity.
Yang Buhui, who works in the gaming industry, said that Indian mythology was fascinating. Its philosophy and worldview, which were exotic and had been a wonderful new world to him, PTI quoted the state-run Global Times as reporting. Yang has also been running a volunteer group that provides Chinese subtitles for Indian tele-series.
She started the group because of her most favourite Indian TV series ‘Devon Ke Dev Mahadev’ (DKDM), which premiered in 2011 and ran a total of 820 episodes. It narrates the stories of Lord Shiva, who is also known as Mahadev.
Yang said she loved the drama because it’s a key to the world of Indian mythology. Besides, the actors were not only gorgeous, but their acting skills were good.
Qing Qing, who works in education industry, said she loved the actors so much that she would watch the “raw” episodes – that is, in Hindi language, and not translated or subbed in Chinese yet.
There was not much translation work done earlier for Indian dramas, and Qing said she had to wait for a long time for the Chinese subtitles. Qing has also enjoyed several Japanese and South Korean dramas in the past, as well as comics and anime, but now she mostly enjoyed Indian dramas the.
Everybody knew that both India and China are among the greatest ancient civilizations. However, compared to what they know about the countries from the West or other Asian countries such as Japan, what many Chinese know about India is still limited to the simple introductions in textbooks, Qing said and hoped that there would be a huge import of Indian films and dramas in the future.
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.
