Witnessing a Legacy: Inside the 25th ITA Awards


 I stayed back in India after the wedding and my book launch for one reason — to attend the 25th Silver Jubilee of the Indian Television Academy Awards. I have attended ITA Awards earlier as well, but this time the experience felt very different.

Maybe because this time I wasn’t just watching the event — I was seeing what goes on behind it.

A day before the awards, I was present at stage rehearsals and pre-event dance shoots that will be part of the New Year’s telecast on Star Plus. I saw the scale of the preparation — hundreds of cameras capturing every movement, multiple screens in the media control room, teams coordinating every second with absolute focus. What finally looks effortless on television is actually the result of intense planning, discipline and hard work.

The venue — Jio World Convention Centre — added to the sense of occasion. Grand, elegant, and fitting for a milestone like this. Standing there, watching everything come together, I truly understood what it means to sustain a platform like ITA for 25 years.

I met many friends from the industry — people I have known for years — Rakesh Bedi, Poonam Dhillon, Krushna Abhishek. Beyond the spotlight and cameras, there was warmth, familiarity and genuine connection — something that only long journeys create.

What touched me most was the respect I saw for my brother Shashi Ranjan and my bhabhi Anu Ranjan — especially from very senior actors and industry veterans. It wasn’t formal or staged. It was real. The kind of respect that comes only with years of consistency, credibility and trust.

The evening itself had moments that stayed with me.
The live performance by Sonu Nigam was deeply moving — soulful, powerful, and full of emotion. There was also a beautifully choreographed dance-musical tribute dedicated to the television and Bollywood artists we lost this year. It was dignified, heartfelt, and a reminder that while the industry celebrates success, it also remembers its own with grace.

There was another quiet, personal emotion for me through all of this.

My father passed away on 14 July 2001, just days before the ITA Awards launch on 18 July. He was on his way to Mumbai when he suffered a cardiac arrest. My brother had planned to surprise him, so he never told him what he was about to begin. We have all lived with that sadness — that the father who so deeply wanted to see his son succeed could not witness even the start of this journey.

Standing there at the Silver Jubilee, watching 25 years of work unfold with such scale and dignity, I felt that absence again — silently, deeply.

When we watch award shows, we usually see glamour, performances and trophies. What I saw this time was dedication, pressure, teamwork, remembrance, and belief — all coming together.

If you love Indian television and the people who quietly build it behind the scenes, do watch the 25th ITA Awards telecast this New Year’s night on Star Plus.
Some journeys deserve to be seen — not just celebrated.

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