GECs
Zee takes on ‘Kahaani…’ with ‘Kittie Party’
MUMBAI: Fortune favours the brave. That could well be the tack that Zee Telefilms is taking as it attempts to pick itself off the floor as far as the ratings are concerned.
With the full cast in tow and the show’s celebrity writer Shobhaa De present, Zee Telefilms director marketing Partha Pratim Sinha yesterday announced the launch of a daily soap Kittie Party slotted in the 10 to 10:30 pm band. Launching Monday, 19 August, Kittie Party is pitched directly against the Balaji blockbuster soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki that airs on Star Plus.
The serial revolves around the lives of eight women who meet every month fore their kittie party. The serial explores their individual lives through these meetings. And what is it that Zee hopes will connect with the viewer. According to the release issued, “Since the situations are from every day life, audiences will be able to identify the characters and the conflicts they deal with.”
“But if there is one key factor that Zee hopes will bring in the audiences it must be one of aspiration. For though De was at pains to point out that it was not only people of a “certain class” (the rich and upwardly mobile) that would relate to the show, the evidence of the AV that was screened did not indicate otherwise. De also took a swipe at the kind of fare that dominates prime time television, saying that the story was about issues relevant to today’s women and not the “saas-bahu sagas where the protagonists’ mindsets were 50 years behind the times.”
On the plus side, producer Manish Goswami’s Siddhant Cinevision has left no stone unturned to give the show top notch production values. The look as well as the background score is of a uniformly high quality and certainly seems to have done justice to the estimated Rs 450,000 per episode cost of the series. One cannot forget the high profile lead cast with the likes of Poonam Dhillon, Kavita Kapoor, Achint Kaur, Deepshikha and Maya Alagh, among others adding to the glam appeal.
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.
