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Tag: Indian Telly Awards

  • Winners of Indian Telly Awards – Bangla 2021 announced

    Winners of Indian Telly Awards – Bangla 2021 announced

    Mumbai: Started in the year 2000, the Indian Telly Awards, often referred to as the Tellys are presented every year by Indiantelevision.com to recognise the exceptional talent from the Indian Television industry.

    The mega ceremony held in Mumbai is attended by thousands of TV actors, producers, writers and directors to celebrate the best performances both on-screen and behind-the-scenes of television in India every year. Considering the evolving situation of the pandemic, the winners of 2021 were announced virtually during an event on 28 January 2022

    This year, the Indian Telly Awards honoured the regional language television industry, beginning with the City of Joy- West Bengal. Watch the virtual ceremony here.

    Here are the winners:

  • Remembering Sidharth Shukla: Perception and reality

    Remembering Sidharth Shukla: Perception and reality

    “Absolutely shocked and stunned on learning about the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput! Unbelievable! Sincere condolences and prayers for his family. Rest in peace..#SushantSinghRajput”

    When TV and film actor Sidharth Shukla posted this tweet on 20 July 2020, little did he know or even guess that the whole of social media would be buzzing, with tweets and messages pouring in by the tens of thousands mourning his own passing away. Most of them expressed utter shock, disbelief, and numbness that the absolutely fighting fit Sidharth had indeed passed onto the other world.

    His early death at just 40 will surely see him attain legendary status, just like Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise did for him. Or even James Dean did in the previous century.

    Sidharth has a following that runs into millions – nay, hundreds of millions. He has a popularity that is akin to many big Bollywood stars.

    We at Indiantelevision.com had signed him to perform at the height of his popularity during “Balika Vadhu” days for the Indian Telly Awards. With tight and long shooting schedules, he still found time to come rehearse for his act late into the night past the midnight hour.

    But apparently, he would have liked more rehearsals. He was a tight bundle of energy waiting to explode, go on stage and complete his performance, on the evening of The Indian Telly Awards gala. One of the backstage crew said he was upset as there was a reshuffling of acts as one of his co-performers was not yet ready. “He’s extremely agitated,” said he. “We will have to calm him down.”

    So we called Indiantelevision.com and the Indian Telly Awards founder Anil Wanvari to speak with him. Wanvari took him aside and asked him what the problem was. Sidharth explained he had had a rough shooting schedule and that he was expected on his sets the next day for an early morning shoot. He kept pacing around saying he wanted to go home. 

    Wanvari, putting his arm around his shoulder, gave him a bottle of water to sip, and spoke to him like he was his son, and explained to him why there was a delay in his multi-star dance act. He also told Sidharth that it is important that he dances as the performance would be incomplete without him, and his partner would not have anyone to dance with her. Wanvari’s soothing voice helped and we saw his sweaty face which had anger written all over it, soften and then break into a smile.

    When his turn came to go on stage to dance, he performed like his life depended on it. The audience broke into applause. Wanvari went up to him and thanked him for his patience and for putting in his best into the performance. Sidharth only smiled shyly, his eyes crinkling and he looked away.

    From thereon, the young man went on to achieve even greater fame and fan-following. Some controversial publications wrote about his occasional outbursts, while others talked about his better side. Initially, he used to react strongly to all the negative reports but recently had learned to laugh at them. Said he in a tweet recently: “Being reading a few newz articles …. Least said they are hilarious….. bhayi eye balls he Chahiyea tho kuch positive likh lo ….itni negativity kaha se latte ho…How do you’ll manage to know more about me better than me… least I can say .. may God bless you all.”

    The educated, well-spoken interior design graduate who became a model and then shot to fame with “Balika Vadhu” and then climbed even higher with “Bigg Boss 13”, appears to have made peace with himself and with industry pressures. His posts clearly showed he had a sharp and intuitive mind. May his soul rest in peace!

  • Reliance Entertainment’s Big Synergy Landmark Production ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ Awarded “Best Game Show” at Indian Telly Awards

    Reliance Entertainment’s Big Synergy Landmark Production ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ Awarded “Best Game Show” at Indian Telly Awards

    MUMBAI: Anil D. Ambani led Reliance Entertainment's Big Synergy production Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) won the “Editorial Choice Award for the Best Game Show” at the Indian Telly Awards 2019 underlining the company’s distinct strength and wide experience to create and execute the most entertaining and high rating non-fiction shows. 

    Big Synergy produced the past seasons of KBC, hosted by the iconic and India’s biggest superstar Amitabh Bachchan, in Hindi for Sony Entertainment. Airing on Sony, KBC is one of the most watched television shows on the Indian television and is loved by the viewers across Indian urban and rural markets for almost two decades. With its superlative presentation and exceptional execution, KBC is amongst the most awarded long-running television franchises in India.

    Rajiv Bakshi, CEO of Reliance Entertainment’s Big Synergy said, "It’s a proud honour for the entire team to win the Editorial Choice Award for the Best Game Show for Kaun Banega Crorepati. KBC is a landmark show for the entire industry and demonstrates Big Synergy’s inimitable competence for produce top rating, digitally empowered and endearing content for audiences across all markets and target groups.”

    India’s foremost content development and production company, Big Synergy is an acknowledged leader in non-fiction category and has produced Indian television’s most successful format shows across all leading national and regional networks. In recent years, it has added strength in the fiction genre and produces shows across OTT and Broadcast platforms Rajiv Bakshi, CEO of Reliance Entertainment’s Big Synergy said, "It’s a proud honour for the entire team to win the Editorial Choice Award for the Best Game Show for Kaun Banega Crorepati. KBC is a landmark show for the entire industry and demonstrates Big Synergy’s inimitable competence for produce top rating, digitally empowered and endearing content for audiences across all markets and target groups.”

    India’s foremost content development and production company, Big Synergy is an acknowledged leader in non-fiction category and has produced Indian television’s most successful format shows across all leading national and regional networks. In recent years, it has added strength in the fiction genre and produces shows across OTT and Broadcast platformsRajiv Bakshi, CEO of Reliance Entertainment’s Big Synergy said, "It’s a proud honour for the entire team to win the Editorial Choice Award for the Best Game Show for Kaun Banega Crorepati. KBC is a landmark show for the entire industry and demonstrates Big Synergy’s inimitable competence for produce top rating, digitally empowered and endearing content for audiences across all markets and target groups.”

    India’s foremost content development and production company, Big Synergy is an acknowledged leader in non-fiction category and has produced Indian television’s most successful format shows across all leading national and regional networks. In recent years, it has added strength in the fiction genre and produces shows across OTT and Broadcast platforms

  • Indiantelevision.com’s ‘The 14th edition of the Indian Telly Awards’ now on &TV

    Indiantelevision.com’s ‘The 14th edition of the Indian Telly Awards’ now on &TV

    MUMBAI: It’s time for the television industry to rejoice, stand tall and cheer! &TV, the youngest member in the Hindi GEC space that represents New Age India is all set to showcase the most celebrated awards from Indiantelevision.com – The Indian Television Telly Awards. 

     

    In its fourteenth year – Indiantelevision.com’s The Indian Telly Awards will see over 80 categories covering technical, programming, popular and digital awards, with winners chosen by both an eminent jury and the public. With Ching’s as the presenting sponsor &TV will air Indiantelevision.com’s The Fourteenth Indian Telly Awards this December taking the celebrations of the year end a few notches higher.

     

    Applauding the achievements of the best on television, the viewers will be entertained with a host of performances and acts by their favourite television stars like Jennifer Winget, Krystle D’Souza, Mouni Roy, Sanaya Irani, Karan Patel, Ritwik Dhanjani, Shakti Arora, Mahima Makwana amongst others. Anchored by the popular cast of &TV’s Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai! – Shilpa Shinde, Asif Sheikh and Rohitash Gaud, the evening will witness a host of emotions and a sense of achievement amidst much fanfare and aplomb.

     

    Talking about the Indian Telly Awards, &TV business head said, “We are very excited to partner with one of the most reputed awards honoring the television industry. The Indian Telly Awards is an embodiment of work and talent that has entertained viewers and we are certain that the audiences will enjoy the awards nights as they witness a whole new side of their favourite stars.”

     

    “Over the years the awards have retained the utmost integrity and credibility. And that’s thanks to our respectable juries – like this year – consisting of industry professionals,” said Indiantelevision.com group and The Indian Telly Awards founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.  “We are delighted to say that we have taken Indiantelevision.com’s The Indian Telly Awards event to a very different scale this year with fabulous sets, performances and acts. We are also proud to announce a new telecast partner in &TV – the fast growing channel from Zee Entertainment Enterprises – in our fourteenth year.” 

     

    The Indian Telly Awards are the first awards for television which were started in 2001 by Indiantelevision.com and are known for being the most credible television awards in India. In its Fourteenth year the premier awards will set new standards in quality, grandeur and scale.

  • Indiantelevision.com introduces ‘Best Sound’ category in the 13th Indian Telly Awards

    Indiantelevision.com introduces ‘Best Sound’ category in the 13th Indian Telly Awards

    MUMBAI: Indian Television Dot Com and Dolby Laboratories have announced ‘Best Sound’ category in the upcoming 13th Indian Telly Awards. With the onset of digitisation of television services, high quality sound has increasingly become an important aspect of television content. Recognising this important industry change, Indiantelevision.com’s much acclaimed Indian Telly Awards has announced the inclusion of the ‘Show with the Best Sound’ category in its 13th edition. The sound category is being instituted in collaboration with Dolby Laboratories, a pioneer in audio technology.

     

    “Indian consumers have become more discerning today,” said Indian Telly Awards founder and creator Anil Wanvari, who is also the member of International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (International Emmy Awards).

     

    “While watching a show at home, these consumers want a similar sound experience to what they get in a cinema hall. And this has become more important with over three million HD TV subscribers in India. With an aim to meet this need of discerning viewers, broadcasters have started investing to make shows sound much better. This trend is bound to increase with the spread and increase in the number of HD channels, digitisation, DTH and digital cable TV. We at the Indian Telly Awards are extremely delighted to introduce the sound category and are grateful to Dolby for collaborating with us on the initiative,” he added.

     

    A jury consisting of top names in the sound industry will take into consideration the entire gamut of the sound production process—location recording, sound design, mixing, rerecording, editing—to give the award to the one TV show with the best sound design and mixing. The jury will include Academy Award winning sound mixer Resul Pookutty; National Film Award winning sound designer Bishwadeep Chatterjee; Dolby Content Services Engineer Bhaskar Pal and Anil Wanvari.

     

    “It gives me immense pleasure to know that sound is being recognised as an award category in the Indian Telly Awards,” said Bishwadeep Chatterjee. “This would not only give a huge morale boost to the sound technicians but sensitise the producers, directors, actors and the public by and large to a relatively much lesser known yet very important aspect of television. Thanks to the initiative by Dolby, we can look forward to great sound quality, which will hopefully enable the producers to keep a substantial budget and time for the sound department.”

     

    Resul Pookutty commented, “Being a sound designer, I am very glad that the Indian Telly Awards and Dolby together are giving sound the due recognition which it very well deserves. I truly believe that this initiative will help raise awareness about the importance of good sound in television, which in turn will make audiences more interested in newer TV shows. I hope to see more such initiatives and importance being given to sound in Indian television shows going forward.”

     

    Dolby Laboratories India country manager Pankaj Kedia said, “We are very excited about this announcement, as this award will give the due recognition to sound in the broadcast industry. Dolby has participated and contributed in the transformation of sound in the Indian cinema and television industry. It gives us great pleasure that the role sound plays in storytelling and engaging the audiences is being given the due importance and recognition.”

     

    The Indian Telly award for the category of ‘Show with the Best Sound’ will be announced at the gala event on 9 September 2014, at Mumbai’s Film City.

  • Colors to telecast 12th Indian Telly Awards on 26 May at 6 pm

    Colors to telecast 12th Indian Telly Awards on 26 May at 6 pm

    MUMBAI: Breathtaking performances, rib-tinkling humour, loads of glitz and glamour and your favourite television stars. Find it all at the starry night that is the 12th annual Indian Telly awards, organised by indiantelevision.com.

     

    indiantelevision.com’s The 12th Indian Telly Awards is all set to entertain one and all and celebrate the best of the Indian television industry only on Colors. One of the most awaited events for those involved in any way in the world of Indian television, the awards promise three things to all its excited viewers- entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment.

     

    “indiantelevision.com’s Telly Awards is the most prestigious property for the Indian television and broadcasting fraternity. Both Colors and indiantelevision.com have planned a wonderful show for our viewers.We are looking forward to the telecast,” says Colors CEO Raj Nayak.

     

    Adds Indiantelevision.com and The Indian Telly Awards founder & CEO Anil Wanvari: “Winning an Indian Telly Award is extremely prestigious moment for actors, producers, technicians, and anyone else associated with TV. While we recognise excellence, we also work on putting in more than a high dose of entertainment to keep audiences at home wanting more. The 12th edition of the show is planned as a mega-spectacular with a never before seen set designed by Oomung Kumar. We designed the show to be full of fun and puns for the audiences and lots of entertainment.”

     

    Be prepared for your television screens to come alive with spectacular performances by the most celebrated talents of the Indian television industry. The very dashing television poster ‘boys’ Ronit Roy and Ram Kapoor will leave the viewers in splits with their quick wit and incredible stage presence as they co-host the evening with panache and bromance. Helping them keep the awards lively as co-hosts are the witty and popular Jay Bhanushali and the child like Rashmi Desai and telly land’s Chautala Kavita Kaushik.

     

    The sexiest yummy mummies of telly world Barkha Bisht, Shweta Tiwari and Urvashi Dholakia will sizzle the screens on the item songs like Fevicol Se, Halkat Jawani, among other songs.

     

    The lovely act by the most romantic off-screen TV couple Aamir Ali and Sanjeeda Sheikh will make one fall in love with love. Watch Jay Soni romance his on-screen partner Shamin Mannan. Watch television’s leading leadies – Sanaya Irani, Suhasi Dhami, Mahi Vij and Simran Kaur – performing in an eyecatching and rivetting prop-heavy act denoting the moods of a woman – right from passion, to envy and sorrow.

     

    What more? Viewers can ogle at television’s hottest hunks – Gurmeet Chaudhary, Manish Raisinghani, Mrunal Jain and Gaurav Chopra – take off their shirts and even their trousers on a foottapping medley of the year’s greatest Bollywood masala hits. Their terrific bare-chested performance is sure to take the breath of female fans away.

    The highlight of the evening was the very thoughtful ‘family relations’ act which saw beautiful and engaging performances by actors who are family in real life with segments of bhabi-nanand (Tanaz Irani and Delnaz) , real life maa- betiyan (Savita Joshi, Ketki Dave and Purbi Joshi), real life bhai-bhai (Rohit Roy and Ronit Roy), real life bhai-bahen (Krushna Abhishek-Aarti Singh) and real life shriman shrimati (Apurva Agnihotri and Shilpa Saklani)

     

    indiantelevision.com’s The Indian Telly Awards are one of the oldest and most respectable television honours in the industry and have been successfully lauding excellence in the Indian television and broadcasting industry since the past 12 years. Its popularity is only soaring year after year.

     

    “The response for the 12th Indian Telly Awards has been great,” says Nayak. “While Dabur Glucose D has come on as the title sponsor, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea has taken the powered by status. The associate sponsors include: Aircel, Vasan Eye Care Hospitals, Margo, Pudin Hara, Layer’s Deo, Ponds white beauty and Nycil Gulabjal. It’s great to have them on board, a property we are very pleased to be associated with, as it recognises the very best in our TV industry.”

     

    The show also has some poignant moments like TV’s hottest personality Karan Singh Grover slow dancing with his wife the ever so popular Jennifer Winget.

     

    The winners that took the coveted and prestigious Indian Telly Award trophy home were cock-a-hoop Vivian Dsena and Drashti Dhami were declared the most popular television on-screen jodi as RK and Madhu from popular Colors show Madhubala-Ek Ishq Ek Junoon. Star Plus’s TRP garnering Diya Aur Bati emerged as a hearty winner by bagging the awards for the most popular daily show fiction as well as the popular actress and popular actor in a lead role for Deepika Signh as Sandhya and Anas Rashid as Sooraj. The award for popular actor in a lead role was also bagged by Kunal Karan Kapoor for Mohan Bhtanagar in Colors’s Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha- 2. Hot hunk Mohit Raina bagged the jury award for best actor while Manish Paul walked away with the best anchor trophy.

     

    All in all, the Indian Telly Awards was a spectacular evening to remember with fabulous performances, surprising acts and the shinning television industry at its glamorous and entertaining best. Watch the repeat on Sunday if you are a diehard fan at 6.00 pm.

  • Zee’s Fear Files opens strong; Indian Telly Awards gets 2.5 TVR

    Zee’s Fear Files opens strong; Indian Telly Awards gets 2.5 TVR

    MUMBAI: Dabbling in the horror genre seems to be working for Zee TV. Fear Files, opened with 3.8 TVR, more than double what the channel used to get from that 10.30 pm weekend band earlier.

    The debut rating of the paranormal show on 30 June helped Zee TV race ahead of competition in that slot. It could not, however, elevate Zee TV’s position in the Hindi GEC pecking order. As per TAM data (HSM, C&S, 4+) provided by Hindi GECs, Zee TV lost three GRPs and ended the week at No. 3 with 211 GRPs. Apart from Fear Files and DID Li’L Champs, the other Zee TV shows saw a dip in ratings.

    The Hindi general entertainment channels continued to maintain their rankings in the week ended 30 June with Star Plus in the lead position. The channel added 14 GRPs, ending the week with 265 points, as some of its leading fiction shows improved in ratings.

    Indian Telly Awards 2012, a property of Indiantelevision.com, earned a rating of 2.5. The premium television awards show, which aired on Colors for two hours on Saturday, pocketed 10 GRPs for the channel. Colors held on its second position in the GEC hierarchy with 233 GRPs (239 GRPs in the previous week).

    Meanwhile, Sony Entertainment Television (Set) slipped below the 200 mark once again, shedding seven GRPs to record 194 GRPs in the week.

    Sab gained 11 GRPs to end with 120 points while Life OK collected 101 GRPs (last week 97). Sahara One with 42 GRPs remains at the bottom position.

  • Indian Telly Awards Technical Nite hits new high

    Indian Telly Awards Technical Nite hits new high

    MUMBAI: They were the real stars at the Sixth Indian Telly Awards Technical Nite. The production teams that sweat it out to set new standards of technical quality, the marketing whizkids and ad sales teams that work quietly behind the scenes to build up the channel and the brands around it, the programmers who brainstorm over endless cups of coffee to hit upon that one single bright idea that will get the audience to sit up and take notice.

    Indiantelevision.com, along with its partners Zee Network, Aaj Tak, CNN IBN, IBN 7, Times Now, Zee Cinema, Radio City, Bright Advertising, Rajasthan Patrika and Mid Day, Fun Cinema, CMCG India, Tellychakkar.com and AnimationXpress.com, dedicated the event to recognize and laud the efforts of all those individuals, teams and channels who made television a viewing pleasure in the past year.

    The awards event was a sparkling affair held at the St Andrew’s Auditorium in Bandra.

    In Indiantelevision founder and CEO Anil Wanvari’s words, “This is really what television is all about and it gives me great pride and satisfaction that we at Indian television have had the opportunity, for the sixth year running, to acknowledge and reward all the great work that this vibrant industry is delivering. Happy Viewing!”

    As for the winners, here’s how the story unfolded:

    BEST CHANNELS

    The kid’s entertainment space is getting more competitive by the day but Hungama TV managed to keep the little one’s hooked and bagged the Best Kid’s channel. Channel [V] won the best music channel award, while HBO was awarded the best English movie channel. CNBC TV18 maintained its numero uno position in the business news channel segment once again.

    The Big Idea award went to CNN IBN’s ‘Citizen Journalist’, an initiative that has allowed viewers to be part of breaking news. The best interactive show award was bagged by Cellcast’s Bid2Win while the Cable operator/ MSO (Multi Systems Operator of the year went to Hathway Cable and Datacom Pvt Ltd.

    PROGRAMMING AWARDS

    Current Affairs Programme
    Jessica’s Fight For Justice NDTV 24 X 7

    Business Programme
    Business Baazigar
    25 FPS
    Zee TV

    Music Programme
    Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Zee TV

    Non-fiction Programme on Entertainment Channel
    The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya
    Endemol India / Star One

    Non Fiction Programme On News Channel
    Red Corridor
    CNN IBN

    TV Documentary
    Missing In Action
    CNN IBN

    Edutainment / Science / Knowledge Based Show
    India Innovates
    NDTV Profit

    News Show
    Witness – Vidarbha Farmers : Suicide Tourism?
    NDTV 24 X 7

    Entertainment News Show
    Gustakhi Maaf
    NDTV India

    Lifestyle & Fashion Show
    Maximum Style
    Multimedia Communications / Zoom

    Talk Show on a News Channel
    State Of The Nation
    CNN IBN

    Talk Show on an Entertainment Channel
    Lola T[V]
    Channel [V]

    Cookery Show
    The Foodie
    TIMES NOW

    Sports News Show
    Love Of Cricket
    CNN IBN

    TECHNICAL AWARDS

    Special/Visual Effects for Television
    Tilak Shetty
    J Bole To Jadoo
    Graphiti Multimedia

    Art Direction (Set Designing)
    Omung Kumar Bhandula
    Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan
    Sagar Films Pvt Ltd

    Art Direction (Game show / Talk Show/ Reality Show/ Events)
    Omung Kumar Bhandula
    Kenstar Max
    Stardust Awards

    Videography (Best TV Cameraman)
    Alok Upadhyay
    Detective Omkar Nath
    DON Sphere Origins

    Videography (Best TV Cameraman) – News & Documentary
    Manvendra Gautam
    Special Report -Saving the Congo
    New Delhi Television Ltd

    Costumes for a TV Programme
    Nisha Sagar, Tara Desai, Neerushaa
    Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan
    Sagar Films Pvt Ltd

    TV Show Packaging (Fiction)
    Kohinoor
    Sahara One
    Cinevistaas Ltd

    TV Show Packaging (Non Fiction)
    Klub Zee Cinema
    Zee Cinema

    TV Channel Packaging (Including Channel Ids & Generic Promos)
    Bhoot Rap
    Toon Disney/Jetix The Walt Disney Co.(India) Pvt Ltd

    Editor (Fiction)
    Manish Mistry
    Bombay Talking
    UTV

    Editor (Non Fiction)
    Jatin Gupta India Matters
    The Last Run
    New Delhi Television Ltd

    Background Music for a TV Programme
    Prem Joshua
    The Maharaja Of Jodhpur – The Legacy Lives on..
    Aim Television Pvt Ltd

    TV Lyricist
    Javed Akhtar
    Haath Se Haath Milaa
    BBC World Service Trust

    Music Director
    Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy
    Haath Se Haath Milaa
    BBC World Service Trust

    Title Singer for a TV Show
    Sonu Nigam & Shreya Ghoshal
    Haath Se Haath Milaa
    BBC World Service Trust

    Director (Soap & Drama)
    Ajai Sinha
    Astitva – Ek Prem Kahani
    Ananda Films & Tele Comm Pvt Ltd

    Director (Sitcom)
    Deven Bhojani
    Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai
    Hats Off Productions

    Director (Thriller)
    B P Singh
    C.I.D
    Fireworks Productions

    Screenplay Writer (Drama Series & Soap)
    Fatema Rangila
    Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai
    Balaji Telefilms Ltd

    Dialogue Writer (Drama Series & Soap)
    Preeti Mamgain
    Jab Love Hua
    Dj’s A Creative Unit

    Sitcom/Comedy Writer
    Aatish Kapadia
    Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai
    Hats Off Productions

    Story Writer
    Arshad Syed
    Detective Omkar Nath
    DON Sphere Origins

    Creative Director (Production House) – Joint
    Naved Jaffri R & N Productions
    Deven Bhojani Hats Off Production Pvt Ltd

    Yes, the event was about competition and winners and the ‘oh nearly missed that’ awards. But keeping the mood light were the amazing dance and music performances peppered through the awards event.

    The entertainment quotient was provided by fusion dancers Vrajesh and Kalyani who presented a unique Jazz meets Kathak performance while Pandit Ravindra Chary on sitar and Merlin rounded up the nite with some jazz, rock and blues.

  • Indian Telly Awards to honour technical finesse

    Indian Telly Awards to honour technical finesse

    MUMBAI: They are the faces behind Indian television, the ones that make sure that the impact is registered in a news story, the glamour quotient high in your daily soap, the finishing touch, the right music, the maximum intensity. They make television viewing an experience and most often you don’t even see them.

    But at Indian Television we understand the need for perfection that makes these technical experts the best in their field. And so at the Sixth Indian Telly Awards – Trade, Technical, Channel & Programming Nite we honour them and their work.

    The sixth edition of the Indian Telly Awards- Technical will be held on 6 February at the St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra. What began as a germ of an idea in 2001 has progressed to fruition thanks to support from the industry.

    This year the awards will be anchored by telestars Pawan Shanker, Karishma Tanna, Rajesh Kumar and Barkha Bisht.

    Some of the categories for the awards function include : Current Affairs Programme , Business Programme , Music Programme , Non-fiction Programme, Non Fiction Prorgamme on news Channel, TV Documentary , Special/Visual Effects for Television, Art Direction, Videography (Best TV Cameraman), Costumes for a TV Programme, TV Show Packaging (Fiction), TV Show Packaging (Non Fiction), TV Channel Packaging (Including Channel Ids & Generic Promos), Editor (Fiction/Non Fiction ), Background Music for a TV Programme , Director (Thriller/Sitcom/Soap & Drama) Screenplay Writer, Dialogue Writer, Media Innovation, The BIG Idea Award , Interactive Show and Cable operator /MSO (Multi Systems Operator of the year).

    And if it’s about television, then it must also be about high octane entertainment. Fusion dancers Vrajesh and Kalyani present a unique Jazz meets Kathak performance while Pandit Ravindra Chary on sitar and Merlin round up the nite with some jazz, rock, blues and divine music.

    The event partners include Zee Networks Aaj Tak, CNN IBN, IBN 7 , Times Now Zee Cinema, Radio City , Bright Advertising , Rajasthan Patrika, & Mid Day, Fun Cinema , CMCG India , Tellychakkar.com & Animation Xpress .com.

    So starting at 6:30 pm this evening you have a date with the very best in Indian television.

  • “The best thing that has happened is the wake up call on content”

    “The best thing that has happened is the wake up call on content”

    And you will find that regionalisation will finally give the media greater depth. There is tremendous energy in the media in regions and they need a platform and I am sure you will see that a lot in 2008. For us it is the quality that matters, and we take enormous pride in the fact that both CNBC and CNN IBN were the winners of the Indian Telly Awards and NT Awards this year. For us, recognition as a quality network matters more than anything else at the moment.

    There could be a perception that since people watch some irresponsible channels that the people in general are crass in their tastes, but looking at what has happened in the Hindi news space, I think TAM also has a need to take a second look at itself, and I don’t want the ministry to be doing it, as it seems to be suggesting. That would be terrible. I have a lot of faith in the people who do our ratinsg and I think they are people of great credibility. And just as we as content makers are looking inwards, they also need to do the same thing.

    I don’t think the Hindi news viewer is so drastically different from any other, or that this crudeness is what he wants, because what everybody is now wanting is quality. If you do chaddi-banyan (panty) journalism, you will get chaddi-banyan advertisements. I am not going to mention any specific channel but that revenue model cannot work. In the long run you have to do credible, thought provoking, inclusive journalism.

    There are too many short-term players in the market at the moment. It is a box-office-rating journalism for them. But Hindi TV news has done a lot of intelligent masala journalism and there is scope for a lot of that, without doing chaddi-banyan journalism. That is not the point. What worries me is the dumbing down of content.

    There is tremendous energy in the media in regions and they need a platform and I am sure you will see that a lot in 2008
    _____****_____

    There is need to take stock of the societal changes taking place. On the day of the Gurgaon school shootout, I think that was the real story, and not Gujarat elections. On the day of actual elections, or results coming out, Gujarat polls will be the real news story, but one important thing is that we have moved away from the journalism centred around politicians. And the Hindi channels are sometimes very good at that.

    And in our case, we have given our Hindi channel, IBN 7 the space to create an identity of its own. It is not a copy channel of the English CNN IBN, it has its own reportage, analysis and plan of action. If for the shootout story they headline it as “Gurgaon shootout” and not some Hindi word, I think they are entirely entitled to their own sensibility and this shows their growing self-confidence. Similarly for the Gujarat polls we in the English channel have used the word Gujarat Yatra, and why not? We are into breaking barriers. We have the Gujarat elections special programme titled “Kaun Banega CM”, and why not? Why do we have to see Kaun Banega Crorepati as a programme title only in a Hindi channel?

    But these are in any case the frills, and I feel that sometimes too much is inspected of the frills, but making the cake is the real challenge. That is my biggest worry: how do you relentlessly make quality news without getting into the ratings war.

    What have been the best and the worst things this year? Well, the best thing that has happened is the wake up call on content, the worst thing is that we have not been able to break the barrier between quantity and quality! We have talked a lot about it, but we have to do much more than just talk.