GECs
‘Swaragini’ captures Kolkata’s hotspots
KOLKATA: Various key locations of Kolkata, the city of Joy, including Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial, tram lines travelling to the Kalighat Temple and Millenium Park, have been captured for a new Hindi TV show Swaragini.
The team of the serial, which highlights the cultural conflicts between two neighbouring families, launched the new entertainment show here.
The leading faces of the show include Helly Shah and Tejaswi Prakash Wayangankar who play Swara Bose and Ragini Gadodia respectively.
Swaragini tells the story of how Swara and Ragini discover their true identities and hold onto their family ties amid fractured relationships, which are the result of a certain past.
Swara is a vibrant, fun loving and friendly girl brought up in an open-minded Bengali family. She lives life on her own terms, takes her own decisions and enjoys the small joys of life. She has lived the most part of her life at her maternal house with her maternal grandmother and brought up by a single mother, who is like her friend and confidante.
Talking about playing the character, Helly said, “Swara is very similar to what I am in real life. The only difference is I am Gujarati and she is Bengali. Swara as Bengali is a non-vegetarian eating person, but in real life I am a vegetarian.”
The promos of the show depict the Bengali family cooking fish. For Helly, shooting with the fish was quite an experience.
“I never thought I will hold fish in my hand, but I did. It was very scary, almost like a nightmare but I did it for one of the opening sequences,” Helly said.
On the other hand, Tejaswi’s character Ragini is a simple, down to earth and obedient girl. She belongs to a Marwari family and believes in listening to whatever her elders tell her to do. She resides with her father and grandparents. She loses her mother to illness but holds her memories dear.
Tejaswi added, “There is lot of similarity and dissimilarity. Since I play a Marwari, I can’t eat non-vegetarian but I am hardcore non-vegetarian in real life. Also, I was supposed to be a classically trained singer, so I learnt classical singing and obviously when it comes to family, I follow my elders but I don’t belong to a conservative family, unlike what is seen in this show.”
Swaragini, produced by Rashmi Sharma from Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, also features other characters — Shobha Bose played by Tanima Sen, Sharmishtha Bose played by Parinita Borthakur, Parvati Gadodia played by Alka Kaushik and Shekhar Gadodia played by Sachin Tyagi.
With this show, Bengali actress Tanima Sen is also making her debut in Hindi showbiz.
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.
