News Broadcasting
Miditech loses Avinash IPS to UTV
Avinash IPS will have new parents from this week.
Star Plus’ supercop, just six weeks old, has been snatched from Miditech and handed over to UTV for rearing. Industry sources say Star was none too happy with the way the plainclothes policeman, who hasn’t yet set the ratings charts on fire, was being brought up by Miditech. UTV, on the other hand, has ambitious plans for the adopted baby.
UTV associate creative director Neeraj Naik feels viewers have thus far not been able to interpret Avinash as a supercop, which he was meant to be. The first task of the UTV team then has been to define Avinash’s role as a supercop, making him faster on his feet, quicker on the uptake, and consequently more pro-active. “He is being moulded such that he will be able to outwit the antagonist ( who, incidentally, will also be smarter and cannier) on a psychological as well as a physical level,” says Naik.
Naik says the re-worked Avinash is indigenously built, with plenty of involvement from the channel as well. The difficulties of working on a project earlier handled by another production house have been diminished as Avinash IPS is shot more on a location specific rather than a set specific basis. While most of the cast remain the same (“We will have to work around Sachin’s ( Sachin Khurana, who plays Avinash) potential” maintains Naik) a new character in the form of Inspector Deshmukh has been added to the script, which is being handled by Abhigyan. Deshmukh, says Naik, has been styled as a colleague in the police department who lives life by the book, and is a mite envious of Avinash too. The first episode to be handled by UTV is directed by Zaighum Ali. Previously, too, Avinash has had different directors for different episodes.
Avinash IPS had made its debut in the 11 pm slot on 31 May, replacing the year old Kahaani Jurm Ki, also a Miditech production. Avinash was conceived as a fearless IPS officer who takes on the world of crime with his sharp mind and matching bravery. The sixth episode, telecast last Friday, was the last directed by Miditech. UTV, that has taken over, also has the Damocles sword of ratings hanging over it if it hopes to rear Avinash to manhood.
News Broadcasting
India’s AI Future Gets a Neural Kick-Off in Delhi
NDTV IND.AI Summit on 18 Feb 2026 to debate governance, ethics, and India’s big-tech ambitions.
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is about to get a very Delhi welcome smart, spirited, and ready to out-think the room. On 18 February 2026, New Delhi plays host to the inaugural NDTV IND.AI Summit, a high-stakes pow-wow that promises to put India’s AI ambitions under the brightest spotlight yet. Billed as a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is already rewiring the nation’s economy, policy playbook, and strategic dreams, the one-day event is curated by NDTV in partnership with the Startup Policy Forum. At its core lies a single, sharp question: how do you unleash AI’s transformative power while keeping trust, equity, and sanity intact?
The guest list reads like a who’s-who of global AI heavyweights. Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak headlines a special session on AI in governance, sharing hard-won lessons on how the technology is reshaping statecraft and decision-making. Joining the fray are OpenAI’s Chris Lehane, UC Berkeley’s AI safety pioneer Stuart Russell, and Google’s James Manyika, voices that will anchor India firmly in the international conversation on accountability, risk, and cross-border cooperation.
Beyond the policy wonks, the Summit rolls up its sleeves for real-world impact. General Catalyst’s Hemant Taneja and other top-tier investors will unpack how AI is redrawing the rules of capital, innovation, and long-term value creation. Separate tracks will tackle AI’s footprint in workplaces, large-scale adoption, productivity shifts, evolving job roles, and organisational culture. India’s digital public infrastructure, often hailed as a global blueprint for inclusive tech gets its own spotlight, alongside a dedicated segment on AI sovereignty: what does true national control look like in a borderless tech universe?
NDTV CEO and editor-in-chief Rahul Kanwal framed the event’s bigger picture, “The IND.AI Summit is about the kind of future we are choosing to build. India has the scale, the talent, and the moral imagination to shape how AI serves society and this Summit is our way of bringing the most credible voices together to define that direction.”
In a world where AI chatter can feel abstract, the New Delhi gathering aims to ground the debate in India’s own story, one that ties cutting-edge innovation to public purpose, domestic priorities to global influence, and raw ambition to responsible stewardship. Whether you’re an algorithm enthusiast or just mildly curious about tomorrow’s headlines, this Summit is India signalling it’s not just catching the AI wave, it intends to help steer it.
