Veteran news presenter Pavalakantham Azhagarsamy was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Pradhana Vizha 2026, recognising her long and impactful career in Tamil broadcast journalism.
The award was presented at the 21st edition of the ceremony, held at The Theatre at Mediacorp on Saturday, Feb 7.
Mdm Pavalam noted that presenting the news with a smile is a demanding craft that requires immense preparation, especially for major live events like General Elections and National Day celebrations.
As a woman in a high-pressure industry, she found that strict time management was the only way to balance family responsibilities with the relentless demands of the newsroom.
Reflecting on the modern media landscape, she observed: “While social media brings instant news to people, the fundamental need for strong language skills remains unchanged.”
“In my 40-year journey, I have learned that reading is the only way to develop linguistic depth; there are simply no shortcuts. Young journalists must have total focus and patience to truly excel in this profession,” she emphasised.
A Celebration of Stars
Pradhana Vizha, an annual awards ceremony, celebrates the top talents and achievements in Singapore’s Tamil media across television, audio, and digital platforms. This year, 19 awards were presented across performance and programme categories, alongside the Lifetime Achievement and Most Popular Personality titles.
The horror drama Karuvanam was the night’s biggest winner, sweeping five awards in performance categories, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Meanwhile, the mystery drama Pithamagan took home the prestigious Best Drama award.
The Best Actor award went to Vignesh Wadarajan for his performance in Karuvanam, while Eswari Gunasegar clinched Best Actress for her role in the series Mei.
Winning the award for the first time, Vignesh noted: “I didn’t work specifically to get an award, but I did have a longing for it. The public has given me a great reception. This motivates me to work even harder and continue entertaining the audience.”
“The character I played in Karuvanam was very different from my previous roles. Growing a thick beard and preparing for a supernatural series was a completely new experience for me,” he added.
Notable Wins
Seasoned personality Saravanan Ayyavoo won the Best Host award for the ninth time, this year for his work on Pradhana Vizha 2025.
Navya Muthukrishnan, 23, was named Most Promising Artiste for her role as Deepa in Karuvanam. “I felt honoured just to be nominated. I never expected to win. This award motivates me to look for more opportunities and do my best,” she said.
Other key winners included
Thigil Tales: Best Digital Short Form Content.
Karthikeyan Somasundaram: A double winner for Best Host (Infotainment) for Pesuvom (Season 3) and Best Supporting Actor for Karuvanam.
The Media: Best Info-Ad/Docu-drama series for Enga Pettai 2, received by executive producer Mohamed Ali.
Nithiya Rao: Best Radio DJ for her interview with Tamil-speaking farmer Krishna McKenzie.
Singapenne (Season 5): Best Audio Programme, hosted by Mohamed Rafee and Halima Asman on Oli 968FM.
Stephen Zechariah: Best Singer for the song Indha Vazhkai from the series Mei. “This award is a recognition of hard work, and I feel very satisfied,” he remarked.
As the ceremony marked its 21st edition, Angeline Poh, Chief Customer & Corporate Development Officer at Mediacorp, noted that the event signals an exciting future for the industry.
“Pradhana Vizha 2026 has brought together talents across generations in a compelling showcase of production excellence, while celebrating the achievements of those who dared to dream,” Ms Poh said.
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