GECs
Zee’s India’s Best hits the television shelf
MUMBAI: The much awaited Zee’s Cinestars Ki Khoj is all set to hit the television shelf. With the hunt for the two potential stars in its second phase, the event will be on air starting 2 July on every Friday and Saturday for an hour’s duration in the 9 pm slot.
The telecast schedule for this event for the next 10 weeks, which essentially is phase one, will showcase the ecstasy, trauma, victory and defeat through 20 episodes.
In terms of what this whole concept has meant for Zee as a brand, Zee claims the following:
1. Brand recall value
2. Strengthened the connect the channel shares with the masses
3. Programming awareness
Also, this endeavour does not stop after the conclusion of this debut hunt, but is going to be an annual occurrence.
Speaking on the occasion Essel Corporate Group’s vice president corporate brand development Ashish Kaul says, “In India people are passionate about two things films and cricket and India’s Best was one such opportunity that helped us in reaching people and creating brand recall of Zee TV.”
Looking at how the channel is going to be padding the whole event to make it a more interesting and novel watch, Zee has raked up a reality show which revolves around the final participants, in an attempt to get the viewer up close with the final participants. This reality show will be woven in with the second phase of the event where the finalists from all cities enter the semi and the final rounds of the best of the best.
As reported earlier, Zee’s agenda is essentially to augment its weekend lineup as well as to tap the weekend viewers. A point to note here would be that Zee has juxtaposed its Cinestar Ki Khoj against Sony’s Devi on Friday and Saakshi on Saturday. Also Star’s Shararat, Ssshhh Koi Hai Darr on Friday and a feature film on Saturday.
Hence it’s going to be interesting to see how much Zee is able to ramp up viewership in what some see as the steadily “dipping weekend viewership”. At the very minimum, the first target would be to get a fair share of the weekend pie.
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.
