The Essel Group is India’s leading multi-million-dollar business conglomerate, and it is now celebrating its 100th anniversary. With this milestone, we celebrate 100 years of innovation, leadership, growth, and transformation. To honour the legacy that paved the way for the ‘Z’ brand, a grand ceremony was held in Mumbai on August 1, 2026.
This grand event was hosted by actor Aparshakti Khurana. The landmark event reunited members of the creative fraternity who have been part of Zee’s journey since the launch of India’s first private satellite television channel, Zee TV, in 1992. For this grand celebration, many celebrities were invited as well, including Sheyas Talpade, Shaan, and Arjun Bijlani, among others.
Essel Group’s 100th anniversary event
Essel Group Chairman Dr. Subhash Chandra expressed his gratitude to commemorate this historic milestone. The event revisited the organisation’s humble beginnings, honouring the artists and visionaries who helped shape its journey. It was a celebration of the pioneering milestones that transformed India’s media and entertainment landscape.
For the grand celebration, many celebrities from Bollywood and TV came together to commemorate these accomplishments. Stars present at the event included Rakesh Bedi, Shaan, Ravi Dubey, Sargun Mehta, Bosco Martis, Mahesh Thakur, Arjun Bijlani, Darshan Jariwala, Jayati Bhatia, Niharika Chouksey, Shubhangi Atre, Abhishek Sharma, Ragini Khanna, Dheeraj Doopar, and Rajshree Thakur. The gala featured celebratory moments, performances and heartfelt tributes reflecting on Zee’s evolution from a pioneering broadcaster to one of India’s leading entertainment networks.
Actor Rakesh Bedi spoke about this historic milestone and celebration, saying, “I worked on television shows with Zee during the early years of my career, and those experiences remain very special to me. Being part of this centenary celebration makes me nostalgic. Looking back at how the network has grown over the years while continuing to entertain generations of audiences makes this occasion even more meaningful. I’m delighted to be a part of this historic celebration.”
Over the last 100 years, Essel Group has played a defining role in shaping India’s growth story. The Group introduced Zee TV, India’s first private satellite television channel, followed by Zee News, the country’s first private news channel, fundamentally changing the way millions of Indians consumed entertainment and news.
For over three decades, Zee TV’s stories have served as a source of inspiration and shaped the aspirations of millions of Indians, while Essel Group helped transform India’s media and entertainment sector into one of the country’s largest creative industries, creating unprecedented opportunities across content creation, production, writing, direction and distribution.
With this celebration, the Essel Group looks forward to its future, highlighting its continued commitment to storytelling, innovation and connecting audiences across platforms.