Hindi
Zee Cine Awards hops on to Zee Cinema & Zee Anmol; regional categories introduced
MUMBAI: In its 16th year, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) awards property – Zee Cine Awards 2016 has made several changes and introduced new elements.
Zee Cine Awards 2016 will be held on 20 February in Mumbai and will be simulcast on 5 March across the Zee Network channels like Zee Cinema, Zee Cinema HD and its free-to-air channel Zee Anmol. Pertinent to note here is that previously, the awards were aired on the network’s flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV. However, this time round it has been put on its Hindi movie channel – Zee Cinema as well as its FTA channel Zee Anmol, which has been doing well on ratings front ever since the BARC rural inclusive data was released last year.
“The reason why we shifted Zee Cine Awards from Zee TV to Zee Cinema is because initially it started from Zee Cinema itself. As it’s an award of cinema, it should belong to its home on Zee Cinema and now onwards we will be airing it on Zee Cinema,” ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka tells Indiantelevision.com.
ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch added, “ZEEL comes alive in a synergistic way to deliver Zee Cine Awards 2016. Zee Music Company continues to be our music touch point in the fraternity. This year’s Zee Cine Awards has been conceptualised, created and produced by Zee Studios, our state-of-the-art film and TV production arm. And there is a goodness of fit to a film awards show being premiered on Zee Cinema rather than on a GEC. Zee Cinema with an average weekly base of 184 million viewers is higher than any other channel across Hindi Speaking Markets (Source: BARC-Urban + Rural India, Average of Week 41’15-Week 3’16, NCCS 4+). The simulcast of the awards on India’s leading FTA GEC channel, Zee Anmol also adds to its reach in rural India.”
Moreover, for the first time ever, the awards, which until now lauded the best of Hindi cinema, will also award Marathi, Bangla, Telugu cinema this year. ZEEL will also showcase the regional awards content on its regional channels namely Zee Bangla, Zee Marathi and Zee Telugu.
Goenka added, “Keeping the Zee’s ethos, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World Is My Family, into consideration we have introduced a few new elements this year in Zee Cine Awards 2016. For the first time on the national award stage, regional content will be presented awards this year. Renowned personalities from Telugu, Marathi and Bengali cinema will perform on stage and that exclusive content will be telecast on Zee Bangla, Zee Marathi and Zee Telugu respectively, so that people can see the talent that regional cinema has.”
Apart from that ZEEL has also introduced the Jury Awards this year, which will be adjudged by a panel comprising Rakesh Roshan, Resul Pookutty, Ravi K Chandran, Anurag Basu, Leena Yadav, Prasoon Joshi and Shantanu Moitra.
The 15th edition of Zee Cine Awards was telecast on Zee TV in 2014 and a no show in 2015. Talking about the same, Goenka said, “We missed the awards last year because we were in the process of launching new brands from our network. However, we will ensure that it doesn’t happen in the future.”
To authenticate the voting mechanism of both, the Jury Awards and the Viewer’s Choice Awards, Zee has appointed the Ernst & Young.
This year the award ceremony will be hosted by Shahid Kapoor and Karan Johar.
Hindi
Rajesh Ramaswamy exits The Script Room to focus on filmmaking journey
Ad filmmaker steps away from own venture to pursue direction and storytelling
MUMBAI: In a move that has caught the attention of the advertising and creative community, Rajesh Ramaswamy has announced his exit from The Script Room, the company he co-founded, marking the end of a seven-year stint at the helm.
The decision, which came into effect earlier this month, signals a shift in focus for Ramaswamy, who is now looking to immerse himself fully in filmmaking and direction as an independent creative.
Known for blending sharp advertising insight with storytelling craft, Ramaswamy has been instrumental in shaping The Script Room into a creative hub that delivered campaigns, branded content, and original storytelling formats. Over the years, the company collaborated with agencies, directors, and a wide network of writers, while also experimenting with formats such as short films and web series.
Sharing his thoughts on the transition, Ramaswamy indicated that the move is driven by a desire to focus and explore stories he has been developing over time. While he acknowledged the unconventional nature of stepping away from one’s own venture, he also framed it as a necessary leap toward clarity and creative pursuit.
Importantly, The Script Room will continue its operations with its current team and leadership, with Ramaswamy expressing confidence in the group that helped build the company’s identity. The studio, he noted, remains well-positioned to evolve further with fresh talent and ideas.
His exit also reflects a wider industry trend, where experienced advertising professionals are increasingly transitioning into independent filmmaking, tapping into the growing opportunities across digital and long-form content platforms.
As Ramaswamy steps into this new phase, the move underscores a familiar creative instinct, sometimes, the boldest ideas begin with a clean break.
