Hindi
Tamil and Kannada film fraternity on protest path
BANGALORE: The Tamil Nadu (TN) film fraternity has decided to hold a protest fast tomorrow against the ban on Tamil films and the damage inflicted to theatres that were screening Tamil films in Karnataka.
All screening of films in TN will stop as will all film- related work for one day.
TN chief minister K Karunannidhi’s recent remarks over the controversial Hogenakkal water works project last Sunday caused the Kannada activists to ban the screening of Tamil films in theaters on Monday.
The activists had also called for a blackout of Tamil channel transmissions in the state, finally provoking the TN film fraternity to launch a protest against the ban.
Aditionally, the Kannada film fraternity has also called for a one day fast at Bangalore’s Town Hall tomorrow in support of the Karnataka government’s stand on the issue.
Though all film production and associated work will be stopped, theaters will be allowed to screen movies.
During his speech, Karunnanidhi had warned Karnataka against putting hurdles in the Hogenakkal water project stating that he was running out of his patience now.
This made the fuming Kannada activists accuse the Tamil Nadu government of lobbying with the center to implement the controversial project, though the matter is under dispute. The activists have also accused the UPA government at the center of repeatedly ignoring the interests of Karnataka state.
However,during a meeting between the activists and representatives of the cable operators in Karnataka yesterday, the cable operators convinced the Kannada groups that blocking Tamil transmissions was not in the interests of ‘peace and harmony in the state’. Hence now Tamil transmissions will continue in the state.
Furthermore, as per reports in certain sections of the media, The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) has suspended all the of members of the Kannada film industry for failing to protect cinemas screening Tamil films in Karnataka.
The ban will stand until things return to normal in Karnataka. Reportedly, the action has the backing from SIFCC members from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
“This is a unilateral decision taken by the SIFCC president KRG. We have no communication from the SIFCC about any suspension till now, though it has been reported in Tamil papers from Bangalore as well as on Tamil channels,” said a source in the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC).
“The SIFCC represents the four southern states. As per the bylaws, the SIFCC president cannot take a decision to suspend anyone on his own,” informed the source.
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.
