It's always interesting to see a relative rookie upstage the competition.
The Indian Telly Awards 2005 are currently under way in Mumbai [Images], and newcomer Star One seems to be the channel to beat this year.
While it's no surprise that it's flagship show -- Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai -- has already scooped its categories thus far - Best Serial (Comedy) and Best Director (Comedy) for funnyman Deven Bhojani, their desi take on CSI isn't doing too badly either: Special Squad won in both Best Director (Drama) and Best Serial (Thriller/Horror) categories, the first award going to director Nand Kumar Kale.
As if that wasn't enough, Karan Wahi (of Remix) snatched the award for Best Newcomer (Male). This is one channel that's going to party hard.
The list of winners so far is as follows:
Best Director, Drama - Nand Kumar Kale, Special Squad
Best Director, Comedy - Deven Bhojani, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai
Best Serial, Comedy - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai
Best Serial Thriller/Horror show - Special Squad
Best Reality Show - Fame Gurukul
Best Children's Programme - Haatim
Best Child Artiste - Pashin Sachdev, Chosen One
Best Male Newcomer - Karan Wahi, Remix
Best Female Newcomer - Mona Vasu, Milii
Best Actress Comedy - Ratna Pathak Shah [Images], Sarabhai vs Sarabhai
Best Actor, Comedy - Satish Shah, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai
Best Actor Negative Role - Makarand Deshpande, CID
Best Actress, Negative Role - Sudha Chandran, Pratimaa
Best Actress, Popular - Smriti Irani [Images], Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
Best Actor, Popular - Hiten Tejwani, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
Best Actor, Drama - Varun Badola, Astitva, Ek Prem Kahani
Best Actress, Drama - Mona Singh, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin
Best Serial, Popular - Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
Best Serial, Drama - Siddhanth
Best News Channel - Aajtak
By the end of the evening, several awards went to shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which is only to be expected for the country's reigning soap. But it's still admirable to see that Star One's tally of awards outscores the other, far more established channels.