Hindi
Vkaao & Shemaroo to re-release cult classic ‘Namak Halaal’ in theatres
MUMBAI: Vkaao, India’s first ever ‘theatre-on-demand’ service associates with Shemaroo ShowTime – a sub-brand of Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd that deals in screening of iconic block buster films on big screens.
The duo is re-releasing the cult classic film ‘Namak Halaal’ to mark the completion of ‘35 years’ of its release. The movie is restored by Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd to offer the audience enhanced watching experience. Viewers across the country can book a private screening of the movie through Vkaao , at a theatre of their choice and convenient time. Alternatively, one can also book a ticket at the ticket counter of the theatre and be part of special screening of the movie on 21 May.
PVR Pictures CEO Kamal Gianchandani said, “For our latest addition to Vkaao’s movie library, we decided to revive the much-loved classic Namak Halaal.The concept of screening iconic films in theatres is highly popular in the west and we hope to popularize the same in India through Vkaao.”
Namak Halaal was the perfect start to this endeavour as its witty dialogue, rib-tickling humour and stellar performances are timeless and hold a strong appeal even today. We want to give young audiences a chance to enjoy classic Indian movies such as this one. In addition, we want to offer older audiences the opportunity to watch the movies they have come to love and help them re-create their movie-going memories from yesteryears.”
Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada shares his thoughts on the occasion, “We are overwhelmed and excited to re-release the film Namak Halaal on the big screen under our sub brand – Shemaroo ShowTime. It has been conceived to re-release / screen iconic movies from our vast library, thereby emoting nostalgic feeling in the audience. He also added, “In our experience, we have found that the younger audience too would love to have an opportunity to watch classic landmark movies like Namak Halaal. They have shown us positive response on social media and during theatrical screenings of such movies along with other platforms. In fact, with the growing popularity of retro content, we hope that, we soon will have to expand the number of platforms of our retro offerings.”
Directed by Prakash Mehra, Namak Halaal stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Smita Patil, Parveen Babi & Waheeda Rehman. Undoubtedly one of the most entertaining movies ever made in Bollywood, it showcased Amitabh Bachchan’s comic side to the hilt.
The film traces the journey of a country bumpkin, Amitabh Bachchan, who finds a job in a hotel only to realise that he must thwart a murder plot against the owner Shashi Kapoor. With the addition of Namak Halaal to its movie library, Vkaao aims to continue to bring classics from India as well as abroad and acquaint younger audiences with them along with offering older viewers a chance to revisit their favourite films.
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.
