Hindi
PVR Inox screens a strong Q3 FY 2025
MUMBAI: Q3 FY 2025 saw the audiences coming back to the theaters drawn in by entertaining films. At least that’s what one can infer from the financials of PVR Inox Ltd’s for Q3 FY 2025 and for the nine months ended 31 December 2024.
PVR announced its results on 6 February through regulatory filings with the Bombay stock exchange.
Q3 FY 2025 was especially strong driven by blockbuster releases and record-breaking figures in ticket prices, food and beverage (F&B) spends, and advertising revenues.
The company reported revenues of Rs 17,388 million, EBITDA of Rs 2,583 million, and a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 681 million for Q3 FY 2025. Cinema admissions reached 37.3 million, with the highest-ever average ticket price (ATP) of Rs 281 and F&B spend per head (SPH) of Rs 140. Advertising income surged to Rs 1,486 million, the highest since the pandemic.
During the quarter, PVR Inox opened 11 new screens across two properties, bringing its total portfolio to 1,728 screens across 350 cinemas in 111 cities.
For the nine-month period, the company posted revenues of Rs 45,893 million, an EBITDA of Rs 4,453 million, and a net loss of Rs 460 million. Cinema admissions totalled 106.4 million, with an ATP of Rs 259 and SPH of Rs 137.
Commenting on the performance, managing director Ajay Bijli said, “As we look ahead, our focus remains on adopting a capital-light model, enhancing cash generation, reducing net debt, controlling costs, and delivering a diverse slate of films to excite moviegoers. With a robust content pipeline and strategic growth initiatives, we are confident in sustaining our leadership and driving long-term value for stakeholders.”
The quarter witnessed record-breaking box office collections, propelled by Pushpa 2, which grossed Rs 1,450 crore in India, including Rs 900 crore for its Hindi dubbed version, making it the highest-grossing Hindi film ever. Tamil and Telugu films continued to perform well, while the Hollywood release Mufasa: The Lion King resonated with urban audiences.
Despite these successes, key film reschedules affected overall momentum. The company anticipates strong 2025 content pipelines across Hollywood, Bollywood, and regional cinema.
PVR Inox also announced continued reduction in net debt, which stood at Rs 9,958 million as of December 2024, a decrease of Rs 4,346 million since March 2023. The company exited 67 underperforming screens and expects to open 100–110 new screens by the fiscal year-end, focusing on capital-light models for future expansion.
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.
