Hindi
Sholay turns 50: UMG for Brands announces exclusive partnership
MUMBAI: Yeh Dosti hum nahin todenge,
todenge dum magar Tere saath na chodenge
Universal Music Group for Brands India is hoping this iconic song picturised on Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan from the classic Sholay still holds some pull on audiences 50 years from the time it was released on cinema screens and is celebrated as one of the most perfect pieces of film making emerging from India.
The company has struck an exclusive partnership with Sholay Media Entertainment to manage all brand collaborations for the iconic film’s 50th anniversary in 2025, according to Preeti S Nayyar SVP & business head for India and South Asia.
The landmark 1975 film, widely regarded as a defining masterpiece of Indian cinema, continues to hold significant cultural influence across generations. With its memorable dialogues, characters, and music, Sholay has maintained its position as a touchstone in India’s collective memory.
“The milestone presents a unique opportunity for brands to align with this iconic film,” noted Nayyar, “leveraging its cultural and emotional impact to create meaningful connections for consumers and fans.”
Interested companies can access licensing opportunities for the film’s music, iconic dialogues, legendary characters, and unforgettable moments through UMG for Brands India. The partnership aims to help brands evoke nostalgia, drive engagement, and build pop culture connections.
Brands looking to honour Sholay’s enduring legacy are encouraged to contact UMG for Brands India directly to explore collaboration opportunities
For after all as the song goes:
Arre, meri jeet teri jeet
Teri haar meri haar, sun, ae mere yaar
Tera gham mera gham
Meri jaan teri jaan, aisa apna pyaar
Jaan pe bhi khelenge
Tere liye le lenge…
Jaan pe bhi khelenge
Tere liye le lenge sab se dushmani
Yeh dosti hum nahin todenge
Todenge dum, magar tera saath na chhodenge.
So be it!
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.
