(11 February 2006 6:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms has turned down Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray's request to refrain from telecasting Zee Gaurav Awards. Zee Telefilms VP Ashish Kaul said the event would be telecast on 11 February in its original version as per schedule.

"Zee Marathi will telecast Zee Gaurav Awards as per schedule. There is no change in plans," Kaul told indiantelevision.com just one hour ahead of the award telecast.

Zee Marathi has slotted the Zee Gaurav Awards telecast in the 7:30 pm slot. The ground event was originally held on 5 February. The satire drama Kaka Mala Vachva, presented as part of the event, was reportedly a take-off on the Raj-Uddhav war.

Enraged by the spoof, the Shiv Sainiks vandalised the security office of Zee News at Lower Parel on 8 February. Two days later, on 10 February, the alleged Shiv Sena activists assaulted a television crew of Sahara Samay outside Bhoiwada court where the nine activists arrested on the Zee office ransacking case were produced.

Kaul added that, Zee was yet to receive an opinion from Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on the spoof that irritated Shiv Sena. "We had sent him a copy of the satire drama. But there is no response from him yet," he said.

Meanwhile, Zee today got an ally in the estranged Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray. Raj, in a Press meet, blasted the Sena for vandalising the Zee office and threatening the channel against the telecast of the show. He termed the attack on the broadcaster as “unfortunate and a blow to the freedom of press”.