GECs
Pradhan & Chandrashekar call it quits at UTV
MUMBAI: Seven months after UTV made some strategic appointments Abhijeet Pradhan vice president UTV and Venugopal Changrashekar channel director (Sony, Zee, Zoom and Sahara One) have decided to move on.
Both Pradhan and Chandrashekar put in their papers last week.
Interestingly, these appointments were done with the thought of incorporating client servicing processes within the production house. Pradhan and Chandrashekar, both former Contract Advertising employees have enjoyed substantial number of years in the advertising world.
Pradhan will be joining The Times of India’s response section and will be reporting directly to TOI director Bhaskar Das.
Chadrashekhar is currently grappling with two offers, and will make his decision next week.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Pradhan and Chandrashar said, “We had come with a vision of setting up a channel driven team which is similar to the account management process in the advertising agencies. But we think we are better suited in the broadcasting or media arena.”
UTV, after the recent shift of Zareena Mehta to Hungama as programming head, has appointed two creative directors Ronita Mitra from Smile TV and Arif Ali, who is essentially a script writer.
Pradhan who was with Contract for six years, was a brand custodian as well as a founding team member of Core Consulting, which is a marketing/ customer consulting outfit started by Contract Advertising (a member of the WPP group). Cadburys, Godrej and Portico were some strategic accounts that he handled at the agency.
Chandrashekar has had extensive experience in servicing in the last 12 years. In Contract, Chandrashekar worked on international and national accounts like Asian paints, Bajaj Auto, Philips lighting, Heinz, Shoppers stop, ICICI BANK, BPCL and Allianze Bajaj, to name a few.
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.
