Hindi
Eros International acquires worldwide distribution rights of Grand Masti
Eros International, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, has acquired the worldwide distribution rights of the highly anticipated comedy Grand Masti. The film releases on 13 September.
The film is a sequel to the 2004 smash hit Masti and features Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani and Riteish Deshmukh reprising their roles from the original and is directed by Indra Kumar.
Speaking on the occasion, Eros International MD Sunil Lulla said, “We are happy to continue our long association with Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar. Grand Masti is one of the most eagerly awaited sequels this year and with the huge success Masti enjoyed, we are confident its sequel too will be a winner at the box office. The film promises double the dose of laughter and masti as is evident from the promos and we are anticipating a very encouraging response to the film.”
Producer Ashok Thakeria added, “Grand Masti is a sequel to India’s first adult comedy, carrying forward the tone set in the first part. We are positive the film will deliver what it promises and are very happy to have Eros releasing the film worldwide. Our relationship with Eros goes back a long way with them distributing all our films overseas – from Raja to Masti. This is the first time they are releasing our film worldwide and we couldn’t have asked for a better platform for its showcasing.”
Grand Masti is the story of three married guys Vivek Oberoi as Meet, Aftab Shivdasani as Prem and Riteish Deshmukh as Amar go out on fun experience in their college reunion, finally to be trapped in danger. The film also features Bruna Abdalah, Karishma Tanna,Sonalee Kulkarni, Kainaat Arora, Maryam Zakaria and Manjari Fadnis in key roles.
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.
