Talking point WITH ANUJ SAXENA

The CEO of Maverick Productions on the controversies surrounding his Gold Awards talking point

WITH ANUJ SAXENA

With two established television awards in the scene (Indian Television Academy Awards and the Indian Telly Awards), what's the need of yet another award ceremony? Gold Awards are the first international awards for the TV industry. There is a large Indian population abroad that watches our shows, ranging from the Middle East to Russia. With the TV industry going global in the recent past, it's fair to take awards abroad too. The actors will feel nice as this is going to be the TV industry's IIFA. What according to you is the USP of Gold Awards? Its biggest USP is that it takes all members of the TV industry abroad and provides a single platform of interaction for two consecutive days, which is a rare occurrence even in Mumbai, given the erratic shooting schedules. The awards stem from my desire to give back to the TV industry what it has given to me. What's the event line-up for the inaugural Gold Awards? The first award show will be a two-day affair held in Mauritius with the ceremony scheduled for the evening of September 8. There will be 13 popular awards, 18 jury awards and two special awards-a hall of fame and a lifetime contribution to television. We're looking at add-on events like cricket or football matches and gala dinners too. Why did you choose Mauritius for the launch event? The TV stars, especially those working in the daily soaps, cannot take long breaks like their film counterparts. Hence, we decided on Mauritius as it is closer to Mumbai. However, the venue will change every year starting with Asian destinations, like Dubai, Hong Kong and Bangkok, though London and USA are not ruled out in the future. Ekta Kapoor is rumoured to have asked her actors to boycott your awards. Will personal rivalries affect the selection of nominees and winners of Gold Awards? Our selection process at the awards are going to be fair. We are not going to favour or discriminate against any production house. Our voting process, which will be tabulated by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, will be transparent.

PIYUSH ROY