GECs
‘Open Season’ comes to your home this new year
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment played Santa Clause to kids during the recent festive season. The exciting and fun-filled ‘Open Season’, the first animation film from the Sony Pictures stable, is now available in VCD format. The VCD will be sold across the country in an attractive gift pack.
An ‘Open Season School Essentials kit’ will be given out free with every VCD of this fun, animated movie. The inside of the VCD jacket will have an exciting Boog & Elliot board game, which is based on the storyline of ‘Open Season’, where Boog, the bear is lost in the forest and he has to find his way back home, overcoming the hurdles that come in his way. This VCD will serve as the ideal gift from parents to their children irrespective of the occasion.
To coincide with the release of this VCD, a contest was run which asked kids to match character names to the picture of the character. Lucky winners got to win cool Open Season Christmas gifts.
Says Mr. Anupam Sengupta, Marketing Manager, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, India, “India is the first country in which this movie is being offered in VCD format & we are delighted to be distributing it this season. With this offering, we hope to able to help parents with their quandary of the right gift to give their kids this festive season. It will be a delight for the kids to receive especially since it comes with a school kit as well as a board game. Kids will just love showing off the kit at school.”
Protecting wildlife and nature is probably the finest way to demonstrate love and concern for our threatened planet. Boog and Elliot reinforce this key message amongst kids and parents, after all “Open Season” is all about ‘conservation and not allowing man to abuse wildlife’.
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.
