Hindi
Showtime in distribution deal with The Weinstein Company
MUMBAI: In a move that enhances its slate of theatrical motion pictures, Showtime Networks in the US has entered into an exclusive seven-year film distribution arrangement with The Weinstein Company (TWC).
The joint announcement was made by Showtime Networks chairman and CEO Matthew C Blank and TWC co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
The new output deal is effective with TWCs 2009 release schedule and includes such films as Nine directed by Rob Marshall Chicago and featuring an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren, and Quentin Tarantino‘s Inglorious Bastards.
Blank says, “This exclusive agreement with TWC will deliver our subscribers an enormous and diverse slate of films at a price to Showtime that is consistent with todays marketplace. Bobs and Harveys films are known for quality and promotability, making them a perfect fit with the acclaimed and award-winning original series that have generated strong momentum and subscriber growth for Showtime. We will continue to pursue such value-enhancing deals in the future.”
The agreement with TWC, combined with upcoming deals from other theatrical distributors and future product from CBS Films, will form a potent feature film portfolio alongside Showtime‘s original series and sports programming. These series include Dexter, Californication, The Tudors, Weeds
Additional titles included from TWC are Andrew Jareckis All Good Things starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, a modern remake of Kurosawas legendary Seventh Samurai, the screen adaptation of author Paulo Coelho‘s best-selling novel The Alchemist, and Richard Shepard‘s Panic based on Jeff Abbotts best-selling book.
The output deal also includes releases from Dimension Films such as Youth In Revolt based on CD Paynes bestselling book and starring Michael Cera, 6 Billion Dollar Man, the remake of David Cronenbergs Scanners, re-starting the Scream franchise with Scream 4, and Piranha 3D.
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.
