GECs
Robbie Williams, Jay Chou standout acts at MTV Asia Awards 2003
SINGAPORE: Awesome. That was what British pop sensation Robbie Williams and Taiwanese heartthrob Jay Chou were at the MTV Asia Awards last night. Though it was Canadian singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne who walked away with the most hardware (three awards), it was these two guys who had some serious attitude written all over them who stole the show.
And what a show. The opening act by Missy Elliot was a brilliant piece of marketing for Adidas (who are not on the official sponsors list). The stage curtain was a made like an Adidas tracksuit top that zipped down to mark the start of the event to a bunch of scream-crazy teens who packed the Singapore Indoor Stadium full to the rafters. Missy Elliot and her troupe were also similarly dressed up (looks like some smart promo deal has been worked in here). Missys performance of her hip-hop hit “Work It” was great as well and ended with her leaving the stage on a local trishaw.
There were no surprise for favourite artist India in AR Rahman. Bollywood got a look-in as well with “Devdas” director Sanjay Leela Bhansali being presented the Asian Film Award.
The only Indian “act” of the evening was when beauty queen and “Devdas” heroine Aishwarya Rai was called to give the award of Favourite Male Artist to Robbie Williams and did a right perfect Bollywood performance – overacting, cheesy giggles and all.
Speaking of Robbie Williams, the superstar did not endear himself to the organizers at all when he handed over his award (a transparent cube with oil like jelly inside) to the clamouring groupies in the mosh pit immediately in front of the stage.
Having said that for sheer stage presence Robbie Williams performance of one of his hit numbers was most definitely without peer.
Executive producer David Flack, show producer Fiona Wang and Mishal Varma, the man who decided on the hosts, performers and “which artistes to invite” did an amazing job making sure that the whole evenings efforts went off smoothly.
Right from an brilliant stage that was done up in such a way as to give the feel that it was all happening in some very shallow water to the finale which saw streamers, balloons flying all around, there was hardly a break or stutter in the flow.
A total of 19 awards to recognise and pay homage to international and local music talents were given away. Winners were voted by viewers across the region from 1 November till 15 January. The show had a live audience of over 7000 and was broadcast to over 150 million homes in Asia, the official release says.
The official partner sponsors were MasterCard, Nokia, Panasonic and Toyota. The associate sponsor for the Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets was San Miguel Beer. Local sponsors included Shenzhen New Power Technology Limited in China, She in Indonesia, Korea Telecom Freetel in Korea, SMART Communications in the Philippines and StarHub in Singapore. The event was also supported by Singapore Tourism Board.
The winners of the 2003 MTV Asia Awards are:
10 Favourite Music Artist Awards from Asia:
Favourite Artist Mainland China Yu Quan
Favourite Artist Hong Kong Sammi Cheng
Favourite Artist India A.R. Rahman
Favourite Artist Indonesia Cokelat
Favourite Artist Korea j.t.L
Favourite Artist Malaysia Siti Nurhaliza
Favourite Artist Philippines Regine Velasquez
Favourite Artist Singapore Stefanie Sun
Favourite Artist Taiwan Jay Chou
Favourite Artist Thailand D2B
International Music Awards:
Favourite Male Artist Robbie Williams
Favourite Female Artist Avril Lavigne
Favourite Pop Act Blue
Favourite Rock Act Linkin Park
Favourite Video Linkin Park ‘Pts of Authority’ (Remix)
Favourite Breakthrough Artist Avril Lavigne
The Asian Film Award Devdas (Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali)
The Style Award Avril Lavigne
The Inspiration Award F4
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
