Karnataka’s best-loved local language daily, Prajavani, cast the spotlight on a film industry fast emerging as a national superstar – Karnataka’s own Sandalwood – at a glittering awards ceremony on June 3.

The ‘Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana’ instituted by the Printers (Mysore) group, publishers of Prajavani, brought together the best and brightest in the film industry in the presence of dignitaries led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

It was an evening punctuated by sparkling wit, captivating performances and headlined by the presentation of 24 awards including five jury special awards and four people’s choice awards, all for films released in the calendar year 2022.

These awards are designed in the Academy Awards format - ‘for the industry by the industry’. The Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana can claim to be the most credible cine awards in the state because they are selected by three levels of jury - Technical Jury, Grand Jury and, finally, an Academy of voters from the industry. The Grand Jury comprised film director Girish Kasaravalli, film critic N Vidyasagar, music composer Hamsalekha, actor-director Prakash Raj, actress-producer Sruthi Hariharan, and directors Yogaraj Bhat and Sumana Kittur. The members associated with Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and the Kannada Chalanachitra Vanijya Mandali formed a part of the Academy. The entire evaluation process was done under the supervision of global audit firm E&Y.

“Prajavani has always been front and centre when it comes to supporting the Kannada film industry, and these awards are a natural fit for us. We consider it our privilege to honour such luminous talents, and we see this marquee property only growing bigger in years to come,” said Sitaraman Shankar, CEO of the Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd, which also publishes English daily Deccan Herald and Kannada magazines Sudha and Mayura.

Ravindra Bhat, Executive Editor, Prajavani, added: “It is really a matter of pride for Prajavani to create Kannada Cine Sammana for the people of Karnataka and celebrate our rich cinematic heritage. The need for an exclusive and impartial award for the Kannada film industry is now fulfilled.”

The event was presented by leading jewellery brand Malabar Gold and Diamonds and powered by Amrith Noni. The sponsors included Canara Bank, Freedom Oil, TTK Prestige, Insight IAS, Sadguru Ayurveda, ColorEssence, B S Channabasappa & Sons. The awards ceremony is set to be telecast on a leading Kannada general entertainment channel and the event’s TV partner, Star Suvarna.

Star Jalsha will be launching two new shows Tunte and SandhyaTara in June. Tunte is scheduled to launch on 5th June at 7:00pm. Tunte will narrate the heart-warming journey of a talented skilled girl from a remote village of Bengal and her journey to fulfil her dream to work as an established fashion designer in a big city. SandhyaTara is a tale of love and sacrifice of two sisters – Sandhya & Tara and is scheduled to launch on the channel in June too.

“At Star Jalsha, we have always been driven by the purpose to narrate stories of hope, courage and inspiration, stories that create a strong sense of purpose. We are humbled by the unwavering love we have received from our viewers over the years and are excited to bring in two new shows in June – Tunte, and SandhyaTara, both with heart-warming stories about aspiration, family bond and dream fulfilment. With these new upcoming shows and the existing strong content library, we look forward to entertaining families in Bengal and beyond,” said a Star Jalsha spokesperson.

Notable shows like Maa, Behula, Durga, Ekhane Akash Neel, Ganer Opare, Kiranmala, Bojhena Se Bojhena, Sreemoyee, Ke Apon Ke Por, Mohor, and Potol Kumar Gaanwala have become household names in Bengal, captivating audiences with their outstanding stories. Building on this legacy, Star Jalsha's current stellar shows like Anurager Chhowa, Horogouri Pice Hotel, Bangla Medium, Ramprasad and Komola O Shreeman Prithwiraj are set to carry the torch of excellence.

WMBuzz in collaboration with Motorola aims to make season 5 of Digital Awards bigger and better than ever, with more glitz, glamour, fun and more as India's top OTT celebrities converge on this platform for an extravaganza unlike any in its segment. 

Motorla, India’s Best 5G smartphone brand is a pioneer in the global telecommunication industry meaningful consumer experiences through its innovation in IWMBuzz Digital Awards, India’s Biggest OTT & Web Entertainment Awards, has been a pioneer in honouring excellence in digital entertainment space. The ceremony sees participation from all leading OTT platforms, creators, Bollywood stars and notable leaders from prominent media companies. 

 Furthermore, IWMBuzz vouches to ignite and acknowledge new talent every year. With this ambitious aim, it has introduced the biggest award quest every year, and is now back with season 5 with its grand venture IWMBuzz Digital Awards. But this time, in line with the focus of Motorola on empowering  young creators, the event introduces an all new award category – The Rising viral Sensation Of The Year – powered by Motorola. 

This award category offers an opportunity for creators across the country to become famous, win the coveted golden trophy and also swanky new mobile phones from Motorola. To get a chance to win, creators have to shoot a video using the phrase ‘Hello Moto’, upload it on social media, Tag @IWMBuzz, @Motorolain with the hashtag #hellomoto – and make sure the content is worthy of going viral. 

Talking on the partnership, shares Shivam Ranjan, Head Of Marketing, Motorola – Asia Pacific, “We at Motorola are happy to partner with IWMBuzz as they cause a wave of excitement in the digital space. As India’s best 5G smartphone brand, we provide some of the best smartphones across India, that enable best-in-class features for content creation and make seamless content consumption a reality. Our collaboration for the digital Awards epitomizes Motorola’s unwavering dedication to innovation and our commitment to empower young creators across India’s dynamic digital entertainment landscape.”

Adds Siddhartha Laik, Founder and Editor at IWMBuzz Media, “We are honoured and excited to partner with Motorola, an iconic brand with decades of legacy in innovation, and a profound connection with the youth. The iconic tone ‘Hello Moto’ is immensely popular to date, we are confident that digital awards is a perfect platform to further amplify brand awareness and strengthen connection with the audience through compelling and immersive content. 

 IWMBuzz Media’s Digital Awards has witnessed success and love over the past years. The support from the audience and the industry has propelled endeavours. 

 Season 4 of these awards witnessed participation of some of the biggest and most celebrated artists from the country embracing the night, including Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Sonu Sood, Tapsee Pannu, Esha Deol, Huma Qureshi, Sanya Malhotra, Uravshi Rautela, Sahil Khattar, Rakul Preet Singh, Radhika Madan, Nushrat Bharuccha, Bhuvan Bam, Ashish Chanchlani and many others.

The 3rd edition of the India International Brand Summit 2023 held at ITC Maurya, New Delhi brought together industry stalwarts and advertising professionals to engage in discussions on themes curated to address the current market realities.

The leading companies such as Microsoft, HMD global (The Home of Nokia Phones), Airtel, Patanjali Ayurveda, Lenovo, Schneider Electric, HP, Home Credit India, including major advertising agencies such as Magnon Group, eg+ Worldwide, and TBWA\India participated in the event. The central focus of the event revolved around shaping the growth agenda for the companies and individuals in the months and years to come.

With the objective of adapting marketing narratives to shifting dynamics and capturing fleeting consumer attention, the summit commenced with the first panel discussion on "Creator Economy & Social Commerce: Winning Customers Through Content Marketing." The panel featured distinguished speakers such as Praveen Rao (Director - Marketing, SAP), Tathagat Jena (Marketing Head - India Region, HMD global, The Home of Nokia Phones), Rahul Dutta (Country Head - Microsoft Surface), and Vivek Merani (Managing Director, Magnon eg+).

The second panel delved into the topic of "Building B2C Brands for a Global Audience: Localisation for a Hyperconnected World" with renowned panelists including Anita Nayyar (COO - Media, Branding & Communications, Patanjali Ayurveda), Lloyd Mathias (Angel Investor), Saikat Sinha (APAC - Consumer Marketing Lead, Lenovo), Ashish Tiwari (Chief Marketing Officer, Home Credit India), and Naved Aqueel (Managing Director, Magnon Sancus).

The final discussion centred around “Creative agencies, Production agencies, Digital agencies, Media agencies, and Influencer agencies: Integration Challenge for the Contemporary Marketer”. The panel consisted of esteemed speakers such as Archana Aggarwal (VP - Media, Airtel), Ranjeev Vij (Executive Director, TBWA\India), Jonathan Leck (Global Director - Digital Innovation, eg+ Worldwide), and Nitin Naresh (Managing Director, Magnon Designory).

“The meandering paths we traverse as marketers and advertisers are in a constant state of flux. From digital strategies to analytics, content creation to social commerce, influencer marketing to AI, no matter how rapidly we adapt, the market always outpaces agencies. When Talentrack approached us for IIBS 2023, we instantly recognized the significance of being a part of this dynamic event,” said Vineet Bajpai, the Founder & CEO of Magnon Group.

The event was organized by Talentrack, a leading Influencer Aggregation and User-Generated Content Platform. The event was supported by Magnon Group (Presenting Partner), NEO (Investment Partner), Marketing Mind (Social Media Partner), TreeShade Books (Publishing Partner), Nine Triangles (Process Partner), Talentown (Online Media Partner), Social Samosa Network (Digital Media Partner) along with Dainik Jagran and I Avatar Z as Media Partners. The summit fostered a lively environment, engaging over 350 attendees who actively participated in the event.

Aamir Raza Husain, noted theatre actor and director, known for his large outdoor stage productions like The Fifty Day War, based on the Kargil War and The Legend of Ram is no more.

He was also the Creative Director of Stagedoor theatre company established in 1974, which has staged over 91 productions, and more than 1,100 performances

Born in an Awadhi aristocratic family of Mumtaz Husain and Kaniz Mehida in Lucknow, he attended Mayo College, Ajmer at the age of 10 in 1968, and after he finished his schooling he went on the study history at St. Stephen's College, Delhi.  He acted in various college plays working with directors like, Joy Michael, Barry John and Marcus Murch.

Husain was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001, by the Government of India for his great work.

India, 31st May 2023: Brace yourself for an extraordinary extravaganza as Radio City, India's leading radio network, sets the stage ablaze with the highly anticipated second edition of Radio City Business Titans. This unparalleled celebration of excellence, resilience, and innovation promises to elevate the spirit of recognition and honor. Building upon the phenomenal success of the inaugural edition in 2022, Radio City makes a triumphant return of Radio City Business Titans ‘Dubai Encore’ to be held from 9th to 11th June 2023, in the spectacular city of UAE ‘Dubai’ where aspirations soar to new heights. Renowned for its luxurious charm and opulent aura, this city provides the perfect canvas to witness the awe-inspiring victories of Indian entrepreneurs on a global scale. 

"Radio City Business Titans is not just an event; it is an incredible experience of a lifetime for entrepreneurs. This year's edition promises to be filled with extravaganza glamour, grandeur and is set to be more elegant than before. Prepare to witness a convergence of exceptional Indian business tycoons; Bollywood superstars namely Suniel Shetty, Karishma Tanna, Nimrat Kaur, Kainaat Arora; dignitaries from the royal family of Dubai; industry experts, all under one roof. The event will be abuzz with electrifying performances, and felicitation of the business leaders, making it an unforgettable evening," said a press release. 

Ashit Kukian, CEO, Radio City said, "At Radio City, we have been dedicated to championing the spirit of entrepreneurship and recognizing the indomitable Indian business minds who have carved their path to success. Building upon the remarkable response received in the first edition, we are thrilled to commence the second edition of 'Radio City Business Titans' in the breathtaking city of Dubai. The success of the first edition demonstrates our commitment to providing a prestigious platform to the thriving entrepreneurs and felicitating them for their unwavering determination, relentless innovation, and unwavering commitment to excellence. We look forward to making Business Titans ‘Dubai Encore’ even more majestic and momentous."

Embarking on this incredible journey, Radio City invites entrepreneurs, business leaders, and visionaries from various industries to step forward and showcase their remarkable achievements. The latest edition of Radio City Business Titans promises to redefine the benchmark for recognizing and honoring Indian entrepreneurs. In conjunction, this will also inspire future generations and leave an indelible mark on the world of entrepreneurship.

The first edition of Business Titans ‘Chapter Dubai’ was splendid as it witnessed the presence of leading Indian business moguls, Bollywood celebrities namely Vivek Oberoi, Neha Dhupia, Sophie Choudry, and Kainaat Arora giving away accolades to over 90 revolutionary businesses and commending the winners for establishing a successful venture. His Highness Sheikh Majid Rashid Al Mualla, CEO of Majestic Investments and Dr. Kabir, COO of Majestic Investments also demonstrated appreciation towards Radio City’s initiative by bestowing their presence at the event.