GECs
‘Shastri Sisters’ premieres on 21 July 2014 monday to saturday at 7.00pm
MUMBAI: Sisters are your first friends. Sometimes, they even take on the role of mothers and sometimes that of petulant children. Bringing alive this beautiful bond is a brand new offering from COLORS – Shastri Sisters – a show that follows the lifefour sisters as they make their journey from Kanpur to Delhi. Starting life afresh with new dreams and aspirations, the four ‘friends-for-life’ sisters – Alka (Neha Pednekar), Anushka (Ishita Ganguly), Devyani (Sonal Vengurlekar) and Peeya (Pragati Chourasiya) support each other on the rollercoster of life. Produced by Shakuntalam Telefilms,Shastri Sisters will air every Monday to Saturday at 7.00 pm.
Alka, Anushka, Devyani and Peeya find their lives changing drastically as they follow their father, Narayan Shastri(Rajesh Jais), who transfers to New Delhi for his government job. Facing the new world head on, smiling through not-so-easy moments of life, collectively, the Shastri Sistersbecome each other’s biggest strengths. Together they learn to navigate the unfamiliar streets and ways of the big city, often finding themselves in chuckle worthy and sometimespoignant situations.
Speaking about the show, Prashant Bhatt, Weekday Programming Head – COLORS, said,“Through Shastri Sisters, we are looking at presenting a story people can relate to – a slice of life tale that brings alive the bitter sweet moments of life as witnessed by four young girls who are sisters and friends for life. Every viewer will find himself or herself in the story. And we are delighted to be partnering with Shakuntalam Telefilms once again to create a show that I’m sure will touch hearts and make each of you smile.”
Speaking about show, Neelima Bajpai, Creative Head and Co-Founder, Shakuntalam Telefilmssaid, “Shastri Sisters is a concept tracing the journey of four sisters who find themselves uprooted from their family home in Kanpur to move to New Delhi. We have shot extensively across New Delhi – Lajpat Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Pahad Ganjto bring alive the storyline while building authenticity for the show.”
Commenting on her role, Neha Pednekar aka Alka, said, “I don’t have a sister in real life; working on this show helped me understand sisterhood and the importance of the strong bond which keeps them together.” Ishita Ganguly, playing the role of Anushkasaid, “For Shastri Sisters, I have moved from Kolkata to Mumbai. This created a sense of relatability because the sisters find themselves in a similar situation when moving from Kanpur to Delhi changes their lives!” Devyani aka Sonal Vengurlekar said, “Even though I have dabbled in television before, working in Shastri Sisters is like a dream come true because it gives me an opportunity to explore various nuances of my personality.”PragatiChourasiya, playing the role of the youngest sister Peeyasaid, “After four hard and long years of working on television, I am excited about the fresh challenge that Shastri Sisters presents to me. My character, is not only the youngest but also the over-protected sister who is the apple of everyone’s eye!”
With a fresh cast and relatable characters, Shastri Sisters includes strong actors portrayingpivotal characters such as the simpleton father, Narayan Shastri (Rajesh Jais)who works for the governmentand the do-gooder Delhi-based landlord Mr. Sareen (Girish Sehdev), popularly known as ‘Lalaji’ in the moholla who loves his daily dose of whiskey. Minty Sareen (Neelu Kohli)is the snobbish and stubborn wife of the landlord, the gossip queen of the neighbourhood and the proud mother of two sons Rajat (Vijayendra Kumeria)and Neel (Sumit Bhardwaj).
To ensure that Shastri Sistersare topic of conversations across the country, COLORS has undertaken a 360-degree integrated marketing campaignacross cable, radio, OOH including in-train branding, print and television mediums. The channel has also designed a special digital campaign encapsulating an interactive quiz across social media platforms.
They may not have it all together, but together they have it all… Come,join Shastri Sisters as they discover a new city and a new life starting21st July, 2014, every Monday to Friday at 7.00PM!
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.
