Hindi
Five reasons to watch ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’ this weekend
Mumbai: Bastar: The Naxal Story delves into the real-life incidents of Naxalism in Chhattisgarh, particularly focusing on the Bastar rebellion that erupted in the region. Scheduled to hit the screens on 15 March 2024, at your nearest PVR INOX cinemas, this film is helmed by Sudipto Sen and stars Adah Sharma, best known for performance in The Kerala Story. This marks their second collaboration after the success of their previous project. If you’re pondering whether to watch Bastar: The Naxal Story, here are five compelling reasons why you shouldn’t miss this gripping masterpiece:
Adah Sharma’s outstanding performance
Following her emotionally charged portrayal of Shalini Unnikrishnan in The Kerala Story, Adah Sharma returns as IPS Officer Neerja Madhavan in Bastar: The Naxal Story. With a singular mission to root out threats to India’s sovereignty, Sharma’s performance is nothing short of captivating. Her portrayal will swell your chest with pride and linger in your thoughts long after the credits roll.
Sudipto Sen’s exceptional direction
With only two films to his credit, including The Last Monk and The Kerala Story, Sudipto Sen showcases his directorial prowess once again in Bastar: The Naxal Story. His meticulous direction exposes how internal strife undermines the nation’s peace and harmony. Supported by stellar performances from the entire cast, Sen’s tribute to the armed forces resonates deeply, evoking goosebumps and admiration.
Exploration of relevant themes
Bastar: The Naxal Story sheds light on pertinent issues plaguing our country, particularly the Naxal insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives and devastated national assets worth trillions over the past five decades. It stands as one of the gravest human tragedies in independent India’s history.
Empowering female representation
Amidst the rise of women-centric films that have found success at the Indian box office, Bastar: The Naxal Story stands out by placing Adah Sharma’s character at the forefront. Portraying a strong advocate for India’s sovereignty, Sharma’s character breaks barriers and challenges traditional norms, embodying power-packed female empowerment.
Visual spectacle
One cannot overlook the breathtaking cinematography in Bastar: The Naxal Story. Cinematographer Ragul Dharuman skillfully captures the film’s action sequences, the picturesque landscapes where it unfolds, and the myriad flashbacks and present-day scenes, creating a visual feast for the audience.
If you’re a fan of films that illuminate societal issues and showcase the valor of our armed forces, don’t miss the premiere of ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’ this Friday at your nearest PVR INOX cinemas.
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.
