Hindi
Carnival Motion Pictures to get into mainline content generation & distribution, says chairman
MUMBAI: It was an occasion to revisit memories as cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar launched the trailer of ‘Sachin – A Billion Dreams’ in Mumbai. Following the launch, Tendulkar had an exclusive screening of the trailer on Extraaa Innings T20 on Sony Max.
Carnival Group founder and chairman, and co-producer of the film Dr Shrikant Bhasi said, “I’ve always been keen to the idea of bringing the marvel of Sachin on the silver screen with the legend itself making his big debut. Carnival Cinemas will make sure that the movie reaches audience all across the country across all strata, as Sachin is a phenomenon everywhere.” He further adds, “Carnival Motion Pictures intends to begin its innings in mainline content generation and distribution, with this being an amazing start. There are many more interesting projects in pipeline that we will announce soon in the next few weeks.”
The crowded auditorium in Juhu, Mumbai, was witness to the love that the master blaster commands as the audience cheered and applauded after the first screening of the trailer. Also present at the launch were the director, James Erskine who had flown down from the UK specially to attend the trailer launch. The producer Ravi Bhagchandka of 200NotOut, and Shrikant Bhasi, Founder and Chairman of Carnival Group also shared the dias with Sachin Tendulkar and James Erskine after the screening of the trailer.
The chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin… Sachin, Sachin!’ from the trailer were still echoing in their ears as the MC Vikram Sathaye called the cricket legend to the dias to speak about the trailer and the upcoming film.
As Sachin settled down to answer questions, he was joined by the director James Erskine, and producers, Ravi Bhagchandka, Shrikant Bhasi and Anil Thadani.
Answering questions, Tendulkar said, “This film has helped me relive the important moments of my life through its making! I remain a private person but realised that there is much I have not revealed or spoken about, to those who have been instrumental to my life and career, especially my fans. I hope the film will be yet another avenue for fans who have showered their love and blessings on me, to cherish the journey that we undertook together for over 24 years.”
Bhagchandka, the producer, said, “Making this movie has been my pilgrimage! I personally am a huge fan of Sachin and it was Sachin who was my inspiration when I used to play cricket. My company’s name, 200NOTOUT is also dedicated to his highest score in ODIs. Sachin is dearly loved by all Indians as well by cricket fans all around the world. He has been an idol for three generations of cricket fans and continues to inspire! This film will give his fans who have watched his cricketing feats on the television screen, the opportunity to see Sachin on the big movie screen!”
The trailer gave the eager audience a hint of what the film has in store for Sachin’s fans. With glimpses of key scenes from the film showing moments of cricketing glory, personal moments, unseen footage from the dressing room and much more, the film promises to be every Sachin fan’s dream come true.
Erskine, award-winning director of a number of international films on sports, took the audience through the making of the film. He said, “Directing the film was a wonderful experience! Coming from the UK, I knew that Sachin was a cricketing legend but even then, it was an eye-opener to see the adoration and respect that Sachin commands across the globe. Scripting his journey for the big screen involved interacting with Sachin, his family, his teammates as well as players from rival teams and others. Sachin is both gracious, and a perfectionist, and being able to make this film for the Indian people and many more across the globe was a true honour.”
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.
