Hindi
NFDC to co-produce films not backed by private studios
MUMBAI: In its bid to promote new talent, encourage good quality cinema which is not supported by private production houses, and promote Indian cinema as an art and culture form, the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has decided to rope in commercial Indian filmmakers.
The Corporation has already agreed to co-produce Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra‘s new project Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that stars Farhan Akhtar as well as Dibakar Banerjee‘s Shanghai.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Film Bazaar at the IFFI, NFDC MD Nina Lath Gupta said, "We have seen enhanced and encouraging participation by the mainstream commercial film producers and directors in film Bazaar 2011.
"From a single hall some years back, NDFC‘s film Bazaar is now occupying all the banquet halls in Goa Marriott. We have attracted 500 delegates from over 40 countries, which have attracted mainstream and niche filmmakers. Goa as a venue has worked well for promoting Indian cinema."
She also confirmed that NFDC is now backing 6-7 other films due for release in 2011-12 others that include films by Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap among others.
The 5th Film Bazaar held parallel to IFFI by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Film Bazaar was held from November 24 to 27 and one of its major objectives was to promote Indian films and filmmakers to a global audience.
NFDC‘s Film Bazaar serves as a platform for filmmakers to connect with international partners who are keen to participate in any aspect of their projects and if an experienced filmmaker is looking towards reaching world cinema markets/audiences.
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.
