Movies
Lady Nayanthara’s ‘Rakkayie’ teaser unveiled on her birthday
Mumbai: In a grand celebration of the ‘Lady Superstar’ Nayanthara’s birthday, MovieVerse Studios (an IN10 Media Network company) and Drumsticks Productions, unveiled the captivating title teaser for their highly anticipated period-action drama, Rakkayie. This film marks a major milestone for both companies.
Launched digitally, the teaser offers a glimpse into what to expect from this major feature and promises to showcase Nayanthara in an unprecedented action-packed role.
Directed by debutant filmmaker Senthil Nallasamy, it offers a fresh and thrilling take on the period-action genre. The film’s title teaser that dropped today, has already caught the attention of fans and critics alike, generating tremendous excitement.
“We are incredibly excited to see Rakkayie come to life and couldn’t be happier to be associated with the supremely talented Nayanthara on our maiden Tamil production. She has an exceptional ability to bring depth to every role she takes on and can’t wait to share her new avatar with her fans. For us, this is more than just a film; it is the start of a new chapter for our team and we look forward to collaborating with talented artists and storytellers to bring more such impactful narratives to life that are agnostic of language and geography. ” said IN10 Media Network managing director Aditya Pittie.
The screenplay, blending intense drama with high-stakes action, is set to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. The film’s music will be composed by the well-respected and award winning composer Govind Vasantha, with cinematography by Gautham Rajendran who is set to bring the film’s period visuals to life, while Praveen Antony serves as editor to ensure a fast-paced, thrilling viewing experience.
MovieVerse Studio CEO Vivek Krishnani added, “Rakkayie is a film that has been carefully crafted to push boundaries. We are proud to be producing this film, bringing together the powerhouse talent of Nayanthara and a wonderfully crafted story that is steeped in cultural ethos and will connect with the masses. We are happy to have partnered with Drumsticks Productions who have a successful legacy of creating compelling cinema and with our focus on promoting new talent we are excited to back the vision of talented debutant director Senthil Nallasamy who promised to deliver something completely unique and never seen before.”
Drumsticks Productions CEO S. Vijayan shared his enthusiasm, saying, “Rakkayie is not just our 10th production; it also marks a wonderful start of our exciting journey with MovieVerse Studios. We are looking forward to it, and can’t wait to bring it to audiences soon. Nayanthara’s dedication to her craft and her body of work is unparalleled, and we believe this will be one of her most memorable roles.”
With filming set to commence, further announcements regarding the full cast and additional details about the film will be made in the coming weeks.
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.
