GECs
MSM appoints Neville Bastawalla as SONY PIX marketing head
MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) today announced the appointment of Neville Bastawalla as its new marketing head for its premium Hollywood movie channel SONY PIX.
Neville Bastawalla with his experience and understanding of the business will help to consolidate Pix’s position in the genre
A marketing professional with over 14 years of multi-brand experience, Bastawalla’s previous stint was with Star India where he joined in January 2011 as marketing head for its English channels and was most recently head – marketing for STAR’s Hindi movies channels since February 2013.
Prior to joining Star India, Bastawalla was head marketing at Mid-Day Infomedia where he spent about four years. He joined Mid-Day in 2007 after a brief stint with Nickelodeon as senior marketing manager. A management graduate in marketing, Bastawalla also has worked with HSBC, Walt Disney Company, Contract Advertising and Mudra Communications.
Announcing Bastawalla’s appointment SONY PIX EVP & business head Saurabh Yagnik said, “We are delighted to have Neville join the team and we are certain that his experience and understanding of the business and our audience will help us consolidate our position in the genre. We look forward to a long and fruitful working association with him.”
“I am delighted to begin my association with Sony PIX. The channel has always uniquely positioned itself in the English movie genre, with a strong content library and innovative campaigns for its premieres and other properties. The channel showcases the best of Hollywood movies. I look forward to taking up this role and delivering on the business objectives for the channel,” said Bastawalla.
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.
