Awards
Rajkummar wins award for Trapped, ‘Shab’ Australian premiere on 18 Aug
NEW DELHI: Actor Rajkummar Rao won WESTPAC Special Mention Best Actor Jury award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for the survival drama Trapped released this year.
Rajkummar won huge critical acclaim for the thriller helmed by award-winning filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane. The movie was recently nominated at the Melbourne Film Festival.
At its world premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival earlier, the film had received a standing ovation. After a series of phenomenal successes, this nomination is another feather in his cap.
Rajkummar’s highly anticipated movie Newton will also be premiered at this coveted film festival.
Rao said, “Trapped was a very challenging film for me and I guess this recognition is the result of all the hard work put in by Vikram sir, me and the whole team. I wish to continue to be on this journey of exciting scripts and films”.
Meanwhile, the Raveena Tandon starrer ‘Shab’ by Onir will have its Australian premiere on 18 August at the Indian Film Festival in Sydney. This is a three-day festival. The film also stars Ashish Bisht, Arpita Pal, Areesz Ganddi and Simon Frenay.
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
