♦ Veteran actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META). Th e honour celebrates his immense, decades-long influence as an actor and director who redefined contemporary storytelling across both Indian theatre and cinema. The 21st edition of META, established by the Mahindra Group and produced by Teamwork Arts, is set to take place in New Delhi.

♦ For the 2026 edition, META received a record-breaking 422 submissions, the highest in its history, representing over 20 Indian states, more than 100 cities, and 60 languages and dialects.