Hindi
Filmfare spotlights Gujarat’s cinematic potential!
Mumbai: For over seven decades, Filmfare has been chronicling remarkable accomplishments and milestones of the Indian Film Industry. The platform continues to lead the way in honouring cinematic and artistic brilliance. For the 69th edition of the Filmfare Awards, which is scheduled to be held on January 2024, Filmfare takes the celebrations to the Vibrant State of Gujarat. One of the core objectives of this partnership seeks to establish Gujarat as a global centre for tourism, investment, and a thriving hub for cinematic production.
The inaugural Filmmakers’ Round Table took place at the Taj Lands End in Mumbai on 11 October where the event served as a significant precursor to the Filmfare awards. Spearheaded by The Times Group managing director Vineet Jain, Filmfare played a pivotal role in fostering the growth of the Indian film industry. It achieved this by convening a distinguished panel of attendees.
Leading this high-profile gathering was the Gujarat chief minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, who headed a high-powered delegation from the Gujarat Government. Accompanying him was the Tourism of Gujarat minister Mulubhai Bera, as well as other key policy makers and officials from the Government of Gujarat.
The film & entertainment industry was well-represented, with prolific filmmakers such as Imtiaz Ali, Aanand L. Rai, Boney Kapoor, Om Raut, Mukesh Bhatt, R. Balki, Jayantilal Gada, Nitesh Tiwari, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Nikkhil Advani, Ramesh Taurani, Madhur Bhandarkar, Apoorva Mehta, Raj & DK, Harshavardhan Kulkarni, Venky Mysore, Aparna Purohit, Anand Pandit in attendance, among others. The session was deftly moderated by the actor Kubbra Sait, who skillfully guided in-depth discussions that shed light on Gujarat’s comprehensive support systems for filmmakers.
The Round Table event underscored Gujarat’s unwavering commitment to becoming the ultimate destination for filmmaking and film production. This commitment is substantiated by their world-class infrastructure, enticing incentives, and a comprehensive cinematic policy.
Patel commented, “Our collaboration with Filmfare signifies Gujarat’s vision to be at the forefront of cinematic excellence, and this Round Table is a significant milestone towards achieving that goal. We are committed to providing the necessary infrastructure, incentives, and support to ensure that Gujarat becomes a preferred destination for filmmakers from across the world.”
Tourism of Gujarat minister Mulubhai Bera said, “Gujarat’s rich cultural heritage and diverse landscapes have always been a source of inspiration for filmmakers. We are excited to partner with Filmfare to promote Gujarat as a thriving hub for cinematic productions. With a welcoming atmosphere, breath-taking locations, and robust support systems, Gujarat offers filmmakers a unique canvas to bring their artistic visions to life.”
Jain commented, ” The Government of Gujarat has been unwavering in its dedication to offer filmmakers the necessary support, infrastructure, and policies. We are proud to be a facilitator in bringing together the entertainment industry and a canvas like Gujarat for painting their stories on.”
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.
