Hindi
‘Queen’ & ‘Haider’ dominate IIFA Awards; Subhash Ghai gets special award
NEW DELHI: The Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen and Shahid Kapoor-starrer Haider, both of which had won National Awards for 2014, dominated the awards at the glittering finale of the 16th India International Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Malaysia. Videocon
Queen bagged awards for best film, best performance by Ranaut, and best story by Vikas Bahl, Chaitally Parmar & Parvez Shaikh.Haider was a winner for best performance by Kapoor, best performance for a negative role for Kay Kay Menon, and best supporting actress Tabu.
Heropanti, which introduced Jackie Shroff’s son Tiger Shroff won two awards: one for best male debut by the junior Shroff and the best debut female for Kirti Sanon.
Another film, which won two awards was Ek Villain: for the song ‘Galliyan’ by Ankit Tiwari and for male supporting actor Riteish Deshmukh.
Umang Kumar won the best direction for Mary Kom though many had hoped lead Priyanka Chopra may win the best actress award.
Contrary to expectations, Aamir Khan’s PK won just one award: for its director Rajkumar Hirani.
The other winners were: Best debut direction: Sajid Nadiadwsla for Kick; Best music direction: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for 2 States; Best playback singer- female: Kanika Kapoor for Baby Doll (Ragini MMS2); Best performance in a comic role: Varun Dhavan forMain Tera Hero; and Best regional film: Lai Bhaari.
Eminent film-maker Subhash Ghai was awarded for his Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema. “So many emotions I am going through, so many memories. That is why you fall, then rise, then rise again. Thank you, IIFA,” he said.
Deepika Padukone won an award for IIFA Woman of the Year and Ranveer Singh recited a poem for her.
The S Cross IIFA Awards was held at the Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For the first time ever, Bollywood’s hilarious duo- the talented actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor played host to the awards ceremony. The twosome won over audiences and industry members alike, leaving those present in splits with their witty quips, perfect comic timing and laudable on-stage camaraderie.
Their opening performance was a medley of iconic Jodi songs – Mein Khiladi Tu Anaari, Dola Re Dola, Mere Do Anmol Ratan where the two donned outlandish costumes keeping the audience in tears of laughter. They were joined on stage by Rakhi Sawant, who took the entertainment quotient to another level.
Bollywood’s ace dancers Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor stunned audiences with their performances and dance moves. More highlights of the night were Sonakshi Sinha, who who stole the show with her singing act, Parineeti Chopra’s mesmerising performance on Pareshaan, Baby Doll, Lovely and Drama Queen and Shraddha Kapoor’s act on Khalnayak Hu Mein, Choli Ke Piche Kya Hai and Om Shanti Om – a tribute to Subhash Ghai. Anushka Sharma gave a spell-binding performance on songs from her film Bombay Velvet.
For the first time, S Cross IIFA Awards will be broadcast globally on Colors.
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.
