Hindi
Walkers & Co enables emerging Indian filmmakers with The Walkers Project
Mumbai: Walkers & Co, in collaboration with Film Companion, announces the launch of The Walkers Project, a purpose-driven initiative aimed at enabling two promising Indian filmmakers with bold and unique voices. By spotlighting talent that embodies the spirit of progress and inclusion, this program is committed to fostering a culture of meaningful storytelling and creative excellence.
“Our goal with The Walkers Project is to empower emerging filmmakers to tell stories that inspire people to keep walking and push boundaries for a more inclusive and progressive society, while enabling diverse voices from India,” said Diageo India CMO Ruchira Jaitly. “We believe in the power of cinema to drive conversations, challenge norms, and shape the future, and this program is one step in our commitment to supporting the next generation of exceptional storytellers.”
The Walkers Project involved a rigorous selection process involving film critics, curators, and industry experts, led by renowned figures Anupama Chopra and Deepti DCunha. This led to Ambiecka Pandit and Akshay Parvatkar emerging as the Walkers, chosen for their distinct voices, conviction, and potential to create impactful cinema. The selection process was followed by intense mentoring sessions and workshops, preparing the filmmakers for the Cannes Film Festival 2024, where the biggest business of films happens in the world. The mentoring sessions were led by Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga, along with Anu Rangachari, Jerome Paillard and Christian Jeune from the Cannes Film Festival. The aim of the program is to provide invaluable and once-in-a-lifetime exposure and networking opportunities to the young filmmakers. Upon returning from the film festival, the young filmmakers will also be making a fictional film each on the theme of “Keep Walking”.
“I am thrilled to be part of The Walkers Project and work closely with Ambiecka and Akshay,” said Guneet Monga, Oscar-winning producer and mentor. “This program is about more than just attending Cannes or creating short films; it’s about empowering filmmakers to amplify their voices, advocate for change, and shape the future of cinema.”
Renowned film critic and Film Companion founder Anupama Chopra said, “One of my big joys is enabling new filmmakers. With this partnership between Film Companion and Walkers & Co., I hope we can empower the two selected filmmakers to tell stories that matter. I am really excited to see the films Ambiecka and Akshay make under this programme and how they use their learnings from the Cannes Film Festival to ‘Keep Walking’ and to bring to life films that inspire progress.”
Ambiecka Pandit, an independent writer-director, brings a fresh perspective and relentless optimism to her craft, aiming to parcel emotional, intellectual, and spiritual impulses of communities through her storytelling. Akshay Parvatkar, a scriptwriter/director, challenges societal norms and preconceived assumptions with his empathetic narratives, pushing boundaries and fostering meaningful dialogue.
Speaking on program, Akshay Parvatkar said, “The Walkers Project promises to give me the chance to bring my stories to life on a bigger stage. I’ve always hoped to tell stories that I feel need to be heard, and through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I wish to collaborate with visionaries who have the power to reach a larger audience. I’m grateful for the mentors’ belief in my vision and for the opportunity to Keep Walking towards my dreams and try to inspire change one step at a time.”
Ambiecka Pandit, while talking about the program, mentioned: “The Walkers Project is an incredible opportunity to partake in a cause much larger than oneself. To be able to participate and contribute with my film to an initiative I feel strongly about is prize enough, but the project also gifts us the opportunity to Keep Walking and experience the largest film festival in the world. Cannes is the Mecca of film festivals, and being able to witness it firsthand will definitely be a defining experience for a young filmmaker like me. It will help see the best of art and commerce come together and understand deeper how the ecosystem of world cinema works. An ecosystem I wish to belong to.”
The Walkers Project embodies the collective efforts of Walkers & Co, Film Companion, industry experts, and the selected filmmakers to champion talent, drive progress, and bring meaningful stories to audiences worldwide. In its truest sense, it is the coming together of collaboration and co-creation for enabling the community.
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.
