Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Nov 22: The 22nd Annual Transmedia Gujarati Screen & Stage Awards – 2025, presented by Mumbai Samachar, concluded with great splendour at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai. The ceremony was graced by the chief mMinister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, marking the first time a top Maharashtra leader attended the event.
Known as the world’s oldest and largest platform honouring Gujarati film, television, and theatre talent, the Transmedia Awards partnered this year with Mumbai Samachar, the world’s oldest newspaper, adding greater prestige to the celebration. A total of 55 artistes and technicians from the Gujarati entertainment fraternity were felicitated.
As per the annual tradition, 11 distinguished personalities received special honours. Sneha Desai was presented with the Govindbhai Patel Maharathi Award, while the Mahesh–Naresh Award went to singers and composers Sanjay Oza and Parth Oza. The Hemu Gadhvi Award was granted to singer Bhoomi Trivedi. Folk singer Rakesh Barot, Gutkarman Rabari, and film star Vikram Thakor received the Transmedia Special Award. The Lifetime Achievement Awards were conferred upon acclaimed artists Apara Mehta and Utkarsh Mazumdar.
Among community recognitions, C V Shah received the Samajsevak Ratna Award, Rameshbhai Vora was honoured with the Jain Ratna Award, and Sanjay Thakkar received the Dhirubhai Memorial Award.
In the theatre category, ‘Sambandho Sparsh Vina Na’ by Rubaru Productions won Mumbai’s Best Play, along with a cash prize of Rs 51,000 announced by Smt. Rupa Anand Pandit. Friend Theatre Group’s ‘Powerful Patidar’ was declared Best Gujarati Play.
The event saw the presence of several eminent guests, including Anand Pandit, Jayantilal Gada, Bhargav Patel, Praveen Kotak, and Dharmesh Shah. Celebrities such as Mehul Kumar, Arjan Bajwa, Ayesha Jhulka, Sunil Pal, Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor, Umesh Shukla Director on OMG, Mona Kanodia, and Mansi Parekh Gohil added glamour to the evening. Superstar Vikram Thakor, known for rarely attending such events, made a special appearance and delivered a live performance.
Performances by Vikram Thakor, Hitu Kanodia, Mona Kanodia, Reeva Rachch, Arvind Vegda, Dipika Patil, Bhoomi Trivedi and others entertained the audience. A fashion show curated by Archana Haria’s team was a major highlight. Choreography was handled by Praveen Nagar – Maggie, Tanvi Nagar, and Deepak Toori, with creative direction by Rafiq Pathan.
The live telecast of the ceremony on the Mumbai Samachar YouTube channel attracted lacs of viewers and will soon be broadcast on the Soham Channel. Event management was supported by Jignesh Bhutani’s High-Tech Events team and Raju Sawla's Munjal Themes & Occasions Pvt Ltd, with overall coordination by Deepak Antani.
The film Kasumbo emerged as the biggest winner with nine awards, including Best Film. Hitu Kanodia and Niilam Panchal won Best Actor and Best Actress respectively for the film Nasoor.