GECs
Zee Telefilms likely to call off deal to buy Venus
MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) is likely to call off its deal to acquire 60 per cent stake in Venus Films Pvt Ltd and Venus Records & Tapes Pvt Ltd.
“Zee won’t go ahead with the acquisition of Venus,” an industry source tells Indiantelevision.com. ZTL had announced in March that it would buy controlling stake in Venus, subject to due diligence and final approval from the board.
Zee Network senior vice president Ashish Kaul, however, did not confirm that the deal had fallen through. “A due diligence has been conducted and it will be presented at the ZTL board meeting. A decision will be taken after that,” he says.
When contacted, Venus promoter Ganesh Jain refused to comment on the issue. The Zee board is meeting on 24 July to consider and approve, among other things, the financial results of the company for the first quarter.
Zee already has secured telecast rights to most of the Hindi movies produced by Venus including Garam Masala, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Josh, Kyunki and Baazigar. “The failure of the deal won’t have much impact on Zee as the company has the rights to most of the successful movies of Venus. Some rights to movies like Hulchul are, though, with Star India. What would have been of interest is the joint film production activities,” the source adds.
The deal would also have given Zee access to Venus’ music titles. While Venus Films has negative rights of 30 blockbuster films, Venus Records & Tapes has a repertoire of 2500 titles. Venus also has post-production facilities.
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.
