Hindi
Richie Mehta speaks on Poacher and conservation at 18TH MIFF
Mumbai: The 18th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) saw celebrated filmmaker Richie Mehta, the director of Delhi crime and most recently “Poacher” in conversation with an eminent journalist, talking about his journey of making both the shows.
Speaking at a house-packed auditorium at NMIC premise in Mumbai, Mehta said that the true reason for backing the project was a larger cause than the conservation aspect the series highlighted. He also expressed that he is grateful that the cause was achieved.
He also spoke about how his favourite part of making a show for him is the ‘research’…”My favourite part of the process is research because you are getting to know remarkable people, you get to see astonishing stories and that’s where I learn about everything.”
He also spoke about how he was very particular about not using real animals. “There was no chance I was going to use real animals because then it defeats the whole purpose and the intention of the series…which means the technology has to be of a certain level to be able to do that and the artists are all from here (India) who have done that… for me, that is a great sense of pride.”
When quizzed by the audience on the sort of content he would be keen on backing, he said that he is more keen on focussing on the script and the acting which formed the core and paid emphasis on pushing boundaries, using the leverage of one position to bring forth key issues. He also stated that he is currently researching being able to take the idea further, with a focus on ‘Big Cats’.
On being asked if there was any fear while making Poacher, Mehta said “The only fear I had was, will I be able to fulfil my promise to the wildlife team.”
Acknowledging his team behind the much talked about series, Mehta called on the team of Poacher present in the audience at the session. The in-conversation was followed by the red carpet screening of the series, with filmmaker Richie Mehta, MD, NFDC Shri Pritul Kumar and other dignitaries walking the red carpet.
The 18th MIFF which commenced on the 15th, concludes on the 21st of June, 2024. In a bid to make the festival accessible to discerning audiences across the country, special screenings have also been organised in Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.
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.
