GECs
Zee Astitva Awards honour women achievers
MUMBAI: Ladies and… more ladies were there to finally get credit for outstanding work they’ve been doing all along.
The occasion was Zee Astitva awards, instituted by Zee TV in association with Mumbai-based Archana Trust Suburban, to celebrate womanhood and felicitate Indian women for their contribution to society. In a glittering ceremony in Mumbai at the National Center for Performing Arts (NCPA), women who had made their mark in different walks of life were felicitated by the channel with Zee Astitva awards. Their presence saw some of the hosts and presenters deliberately avoiding the ‘Gentlemen’ part handing out the customary salutation!
Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen won the “Zee Woman of the Year” award while Simone Tata took home the “Kellogg’s Woman of the Year” award. Ekta Kapoor, Swati Piramal, Mallika Srinivasan, Kalpana Morparia, Sania Mirza, Meera Borwankar, Ashwini Bhide, Usha Barwale, Bharati Shivaji, Kishori Amonkar and Tasneem Raja were given awards in diverse fields like healthcare, TV, business, banking and finance, sports, civil services, performing arts, science and technology. Special awards were given to Renu Kundal (Dy SP Jammu), Anuradha Lohia (scientist) and Madhu Singhal (school for the blind) for their work.
Speaking on the occasion, Zee TV business head Abhijit Saxena said, Zee Astitva Awards is a unique property instituted, to recognise exemplary women in society.
“For any general entertainment channel women are its core audiences. An award ceremony like Zee Astitva Awards makes our bond with our main audience stronger. This is a small effort to celebrate and encourage the versatile role of women in Indian society.”
Kellogg’s India MD K Venkatachalam said, “We are pleased to be associated with this event, aimed at felicitating women from all spheres of life and paying tribute to the undying spirit of today’s woman.”
The Astitva Award jury comprised Rajshree Birla, Simone Tata, Neeta Ambani, Simi Garewal, Divya Seth, Ashwini Yardi (Programming Head, Zee TV) and Anita Raj.
Dignitaries like Subhash Chandra, Pradeep Guha, Subhash Ghai, Ajay Piramal, Rajashri Birla, Kumarmangalam Birla, Neeta Ambani, Sushmita Sen, Simone Tata, Arti and Kailash Surendranath, Anil Kapoor, Sunil Gavaskar, Ismail Darbar, Shobha De, Sania Mirza and Saurav Shukla were present at the function. A special telecast of these awards will take place exclusively on Zee TV on 23 April at 8:00 PM
Zee Network CMD Subhash Chandra with Sania Mirza
The ceremony hosted by Cyrus Sahukar and CO-hosted by Gurdeep Kohli, Chavi Mittal, Deepa Parab and Kulraj Randhawa kept the audiences entertained.
The fusion music of Sivamani and Raghav, one-liners of Shekhar Suman, dance performances by the gorgeous Dia Mirza and the winners of India’s Best Aditi Sharma and Sarwar Ahuja and the melodious singing of Richa Sharma and Mehnaz added the excitement and glamour to the evening.
Also present at the award ceremony were many small screen stars including Niki Aneja Walia, Tanvi Azmai, Divya Seth, Akashdeep Sehgal, Mansi and Rohit Roy, Tisca Chopra, Sangeeta Ghosh, Shweta Salve, Annu Kapoor, Simone Singh, Kushal Punjabi, Rajeshwari and Varun Badola.
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.
