Hindi
PVR Cinemas to premiere ‘Ekans-Hero Ek Villain Anek’ on 19 August
Mumbai: Ekan, the hero of Pogo’s original animated series Ekans-Snakes Awake!, is set to make his big screen debut. The children’s animated film “Ekans-Hero Ek Villain Anek” will be released exclusively in theatres at PVR cinemas.
This new film will be shown in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu at 72 PVR locations across 40 cities in India beginning 19 August.
In addition to the movie screening, PVR has planned a variety of fun activities for kids, such as mascot visits and contests with Ekans merchandise as prizes.
At the flagship PVR theatres in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bengaluru, an experiential zone will be created where young fans can meet Ekans.
Additionally, weekend activities such as face painting, drawing, origami, and interactive games are planned to keep the kids entertained.
Warner Bros. Discovery head of kids cluster – South Asia Uttam Pal Singh said, “Since the launch of our India original animation series ‘Ekans – Snakes Awake!’, it has consistently been a fan favourite. We are all set to take Ekans’ adventures and bravery from the small screen to the big screen with ‘Ekans-Hero Ek Villain Anek’. PVR Cinemas and the experience it provides make it an ideal partner to premiere the movie and reach an even wider audience. We are sure the movie will appeal to kids across the country, propelling Ekans to even greater popularity.”
PVR CEO Gautam Dutta said, “PVR is excited to host POGO’s much-awaited kids’ animated movie, ‘Ekans-Hero Ek Villain Anek.’ The movie is being released as part of the PVR Kids’ Day Out initiative, which offers the perfect opportunity for families with children to have a fun outing at our cinemas. It has always been our endeavour to offer exclusive content and differentiated experiences appealing to every customer demographic. We strive to create opportunities for our youngest audience to experience our unique offerings. We are certain that kids will enjoy watching Ekans on the big screen.”
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.
