Hindi
PVR launches luxury entertainment multiplex in Delhi
MUMBAI: PVR, the Delhi-based cinema exhibition major, has introduced a luxury entertainment multiplex – Director’s Cut (DC), at the Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
Conceived by PVR CMD Ajay Bijli, DC further cements PVR’s stance in its core proposition-the film exhibition business.
Director’s Cut includes four luxurious cinema halls, a café, a cutting-edge restaurant, one of the city’s best-stocked bars, a lounge, a patisserie and a book shop devoted to the movies.
“The concept marries two thrilling ideas, that of luxury and cinema, bringing to connoisseurs, four screens made for cosseting viewers in the plushest surroundings that range from a fully recliner seating, 2K digital projection, finest surround sound and complete 3D capability. Director’s Cut has four ultra plush audis which can seat 282 people in all. The largest Audi can seat 108 people and the smallest one can accommodate 25 people.” PVR said.
The interiors of Directors’ Cut are soaked in classic and contemporary film-based art, so as to underline the classic quality of the experience. Signatures of cinematic legends-Kurosawa, Ray, Godard and more are etched on the smoky glass panels of the restaurant. The cinemas themselves are an ode to elegance and pampering, ranging from interiors in rich burgundy, gold, carmine and a shimmering ochre. Chic individual lamps sit on a console besides each seat. A waiter is a button away with a hot towel, a blanket, an hors d’ouvre or a drink.
Speaking on the launch, Bijli said: “I am happy to launch Director’s Cut today. DC brings an unmatched luxury cinema viewing experience, something which has never been seen in the country before. It will set a benchmark of excellence and offer value to a discerning audience. We bring in the most innovative concept of fine dining to cinemas, with cuisine brought together by renowned chefs from India and abroad, which will cater to every palate. We are positive that the property will be well received by discerning movie lovers of the capital.”
PVR Ltd joint MD Sanjeev Kumar Bijli added, “This is a significant opening for us. Although Director’s Cut will screen popular current cinema, it will also under Director’s Cut Rare banner, showcase vintage and classic cinema and landmark television shows. Film festivals will be a vigorous and an on-going feature. DC will create a cultural space where cineastes, with a taste for an ambience that is refined, will look forward to spending time on a regular basis, simply because no content will be inaccessible at this scale anywhere else. The plan for DC is unique, and we seek to make it a cultural hub showcasing distinguished speakers, exhibitions, lectures and performances.”
Director’s cut is an essential part of PVR’s assiduous strategy to scale up its exhibition business. PVR plans to further expand the concept to other metro cities. Once Directors’ Cut gains the requisite tipping point, it will also be offering memberships to a loyalty programme that has been already been put in place. The benefits will possibly outclass those offered by any upscale metropolitan club, the company said.
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.
