Hindi
Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Arth’ set for a comeback in a theatrical production
NEW DELHI: The 1982 film Arth, a semi-autobiographical film by director Mahesh Bhatt which got actress Shabana Azmi a National Award for acting, is now being presented for the first time on stage.
The film had changed the face of Indian cinema for the manner in which it looked at the bold subject of extra marital relationships, as also remembered for its mesmerising soundtrack.
After the recent success of his plays The Last Salute and Trial of Errors which also launched his latest protégé Imran Zahid, the duo of Bhatt and Zahid are now pairing up again for the dramatic adaptation of Arth.
 |
Bhatt feels that Arth was a classic film that raised the issue of gender equality way back in the 80‘s. “The film looked at the issue of women emancipation like no Indian dramatic work ever has. No one has been able to better what Arthhighlighted in the world of movies or in theatre. I think the 21st century India needs to be experience the theme of Arththrough theatre” says the filmmaker.
Arth was way ahead of its time and Bhatt feels that subject will strike a chord even with today‘s generation.
“The issues with regards to our society that were raised in Arth are relevant in even in today‘s times. Theatre has given me an entirely new outlet and after staging two successful plays The Last Salute and Trial of Errors, I took this decision. I think adapting such a piece of art into a theatrical adaptation will not be an easy task but I am ready for this test. I feel this medium has help connecting with audience in all together different way”, he adds.
Delhi-based actor Imran Zahid, who earlier essayed the role of Muntadar Al Zaidi in The Last Salute and of journalist Rehan in Trial of Errors is all geared up for this new assignment.
“Mahesh Bhatt is all set to recreate magic of film Arth in a theatrical play. It‘ll be a big challenge for me to play the lead but I am up for it”, says Imran.
Hindi
Remembering Gyan Sahay, the lens behind film, television and advertising
From a puppet rabbit selling poppadums to Hindi cinema, he framed it all.
MUMBAI: There are careers, and then there are canvases. Gyan Sahay, the veteran cinematographer, director, and producer who passed away on 10 March 2026 in Mumbai, had one of the latter. Over several decades in the Indian film and television industry, he turned lenses, lights, and the occasional puppet rabbit into something approaching art.
A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, Sahay built his reputation as a director of photography across a career that stretched from the early 1970s all the way to the digital age. He was the kind of craftsman who understood that a well-composed shot is not merely a technical achievement but a quiet act of storytelling.
For most Indians of a certain age, however, Sahay will forever be the man behind the rabbit. His direction of the iconic long-running television commercial for Lijjat Papad, featuring its now-legendary puppet bunny, gave the country one of its most cheerfully persistent advertising images. It was the sort of work that sneaks into the national subconscious and takes up permanent residence.
His big-screen credits as cinematographer include Anokhi Pehchan (1972), Pagli (1974), Pas de Deux (1981), and Hum Farishte Nahin (1988). In 1999, he stepped behind a different kind of camera altogether, making his directorial debut with Sar Ankhon Par, a drama that featured Vikas Bhalla and Shruti Ulfat, with a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan for good measure.
On television, Sahay was particularly prized for his command of multi-camera production setups, a skill that made him a go-to technician for large-scale shows and reality programmes. In an industry that has never been especially patient with complexity, he was the calm hand on the rig.
In later life, Sahay turned teacher. He participated regularly in masterclasses and Digi-Talks, often hosted by organisations such as Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna, sharing hard-won wisdom on cinematography, the comedy of timing in a shot, and the sweeping changes brought by the shift from celluloid to digital. He was also said to have been involved in a project concerning a biographical film on Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy.
Tributes from the film industry poured in following the news of his passing, with colleagues remembering him as a senior cameraman who served as a rare bridge between two entirely different eras of Indian cinema. That is, perhaps, the finest thing one can say of any craftsman: he kept up, and he brought others along with him.
