GECs
They came, they performed, they conquered
DUBAI: If Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra was seen hugging some journalists from India at a post Zee cine award party yesterday, his high spirits was understandable. With the event turning out to be a rocking one that kept on shaking Dubai till wee hours in the morning today, the message of Indo-Pakistan ‘bhai-bhai’ went down well here.
And if Chandra, in traditional India silk dhoti-kurta soaked in the appreciation, there is no denying the fact that Shah Rukh Khan is not called King Khan for nothing. He ruled the hearts of people, irrespective of the sex, ranging between six and 60 years. Hrithik and Salman almost paled in comparison as Shah Rukh danced, sang, handed out gifts, courtesy some of the sponsors (notably Samsung) and himself took home a fairly big booty of an award and a complimentary bank account in the city-based ME Bank whose owners deposited 50,000 dirhams in the account.
Shaking a leg with God himself! – Natasha Puri with Shah Rukh Khan
No wonder a pleased-as-a-punch Khan quipped that he would love to give the money away to a charity, but since people are so rich in Dubai, he might as well take the money to India and find a suitable charitable cause for it. Clap, clap.
“Whatever Shah Rukh does, he does so with an élan that is so adorable,” gushed Natasha Puri, the local girl who got a chance to shake a leg with Shah Rukh to the tunes of the song from Chalte Chalte where King Khan is trying to woo Rani Mukherjee.
And if you thought that the Dubai girl, Puri, who is planning to go to Canada to study TV broadcasting, was shy, then think again. Just stopping short of acceding to Shah Rukh’s requests for, may be, wearing, a mini, Natasha gamely even agreed to change her dress so colours did not clash.
Was Natasha a bit nervous as Shah Rukh’s gaze fell on her from amongst the thousands of girls in the audience who wanted to dance with him? A bit to start off with, Natasha told indiantelevision.com later, adding, that every step that she took on the stage with Khan gave her more confidence.
Pointing out that she only came to watch Shah Rukh, Natasha seems to live, eat and breathe Bollywood and, in particular, Shah Rukh. According to her mother, Natasha’s room is full of pictures of stars from Bollywood.
When asked, if she’s going to do higher studies in TV broadcasting, whether she is aware of TV stars and watches TV serials too, Natasha was frank enough to admit that she is not much a fan of Indian TV serials.
Natasha was not the only girl to dance with Shah Rukh, there were two others, including an aspiring fashion designer, whom Khan has promised that he’d wear her creations when she starts.
However, France-based Ghulam Ali and family, comprising wife and daughter, felt that Aishwarya Rai’s absence was sorely felt. “They got everybody for this grand show, people like Amitabh, Rekha, Shah Rukh, Dharamendra and Preity, but we definitely missed Ash. Our days would have made, if she had also come for this show,” he said. Ali’s family is on a holiday trip to Dubai and was lucky enough to corner tickets for the show, which were being sold at a premium.
Ikram Ali, a businessman from Karachi, who had flown in especially for this show, felt that the show was a bit tad long – if only Zee had the powers to edit on-stage performances like it is done when being packaged for television – and there should have been more performances by several other stars.
Vinay, a civil engineer with a Dubai-based company, was of the opinion that the show was certainly one of the better ones in recent times and well organized. “In recent times, I have seen several such shows, including the Jalwa show, but this has been very well organized,” he quipped.
Similar sentiments were echoed by a bunch of school kids all in class XI and more trendily dressed than, probably, New York colts. According to Venky, the money spent on the tickets was worth it.
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.
