Hindi
Regional cinema is mainstay of Indian Cinema: Soni
NEW DELHI: Vice President M Hamid Ansari today said it was a matter of surprise that the number of regional films being dubbed or subtitled in Hindi was declining and had come down from 213 in 2001 to 147 in 2011 while the number of foreign films dubbed or subtitled had increased to 128 last year.
Noting that the two top winners of the 59th National Film Awards were regional films, he said “it is an under-appreciated fact that over 80 per cent of the films certified for public exhibition are regional films.”
Speaking after giving away the awards at a colourful function in the gaily decorated Vigyan Bhavan, he noted that Indian cinema had not remained unaffected by globalisation and it was fascinating to see how the industry has to face the challenge of continuing on the path of innovation, creativity, and technological upgradation even as it nurtures its umbilical chord with our heritage and culture.
Earlier, thespian Soumitra Chatterjee received the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest national honour for lifetime contribution to cinema, amidst a standing ovation and thunderous applause. Actor Vidya Balan for ‘The Dirty Picture’ and Girish Kulkarni for the Marathi film ‘Deeol’ also received loud cheers as they came to get the awards for best performance.
Ansari noted that popular culture is a site where “collective social understandings are created” and films play a significant role in this, more so given the linguistic and regional diversity they portray.
Over the years, these awards have recognised excellence as also propelled new or unknown talent to national and international limelight and provide encouragement and recognition to them, he said.
Applauding Chatterjee, Ansari said “his partnership with Satyajit Ray would indeed be counted as a memorable director-actor combination in the history of cinema.”
He said the award winners had proved that contrary to popular perception, Indian cinema is neither formulaic nor conforming to stereotypes. It has successfully adapted traditional Indian narrative and oral traditions to the requirements of technology and formats of new media.
Globalisation is also reflected in the nature and expectations of cinemagoers. “We have a growing middle class, and a younger generation of viewers; both are desirous and capable of spending on entertainment. The film viewers today, besides entertainment, seek to understand their society and their world, and to make sense of societal and personal evolution.”
The technology and format of film viewing is also changing with new gadgets including phones, Tablets, Pay-per-view and laptops and venues such as multiplexes. This is leading to an increasing demand for better cinematography, improved quality and digital formats. They impact on the distribution and marketing and, thus, on revenue generation possibilities.
“It is evident our films are one of the most potent elements of our soft power. They are ambassadors of our culture, tradition and society. They foster people-to-people relations and promote our image and interests in ways that are not readily apparent but are of enduring significance. As we improve our society and economy and empower our citizens, our films will continue to play a leading role within the country and abroad to further the effort.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the awards this year marked the commencement of the celebrations of 100 years of cinema. Programmes being given a fillip during the year included the National Film Heritage Mission for which a sum of Rs five billion had been allocated in the current five-year plan.
She said that the year will see the opening of the Museum of the Moving Image in Mumbai in the premises of the Gulshan Mahal in the Films Division Complex.
She agreed with Ansari that the rich cultural heritage and film music had contributed in turning India into a soft power. Cinema was the social mirror of society and a catalyst for the plurality of Indian culture. Regional cinema remained the mainstay of Indian cinema.
I&B Secretary Uday Varma said Indian cinema celebrates life in all its glory and shares joys and sorrows, encapsulating life in all its colours. It was the finest tribute to human creativity.
Chatterjee said he had been plagued in his early years on whether he had chosen the right profession, but his fans had proved him right.
Chairpersons Rohini Hatthangady (features), Ramesh Sharma (non-features) and Vijaya Mulay (writing on cinema) presented their reports. Others present included the two Ministers of State for I&B, C M Jatua and R Jagathrakshkan, Film Federation of India president Vinod Lamba, and Dharmesh Tiwari of the All India Cine Employees Confederation.
The evening presented by actors Vinay Pathak and Soumya Tandon saw music performances by National film awardees Anand Bhate (for his song in ‘Balgandharva’), Roopa Ganguly (for her song in ‘Abhosheyshey’) and Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya for the song ‘Agar Zindagi’ in ‘I am’. A film with clips from the award-winning films by Ramesh Tekwani and another on Chatterjee by Films Division were also screened.
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.
