Hindi
Sultan grosses Rs 180.36 crore in Opening weekend
MUMBAI: A solo Eid release registered an unprecedented advance booking – a rarity since the advent of multiscreen, multiplex release of films. Set to hit the screens on 6 July, which was the earlier date for Eid al Fitr, the Salman Khan starrer Sultan, remained unaffected by the delay of the festival by a day.
The Haryana wrestler turned Van Damme, however had limited appreciation mainly due to its mediocre second half and unfamiliar supporting cast. But, the presence of Salman Khan seemed to override all that.
The film crossed the media favourite Rs100 crore mark by day three and then went on to have a strong Saturday and a stronger stillSunday to end its extended five day opening weekend with Rs 180.36 crore. The day wise collections being: Wednesday (Rs 36.54 crore); Thursday (Rs 37.32 crore); Friday (Rs 31.67 crore); Saturday (Rs 36.62 crore) and Sunday (Rs 38.21 crore).
*Shorgul, a film reflecting the dirty politics in Uttar Pradesh state, despite talented names in its cast, had a disastrous first week. The film managed to gross just a humble Rs 1 crore.
*Kerry On Kutton is an also ran.
*Junooniyat added Rs 40 lakh in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 4.15 crore.
*Raman Raghav 2.0 added Rs 90 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.4 crore.
*Udta Punjab collected Rs 1.75 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 58.1 crore.
*Te3n has added Rs 5 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 17.55 crore.
*Houseful 3 added Rs 30 lakh in its fifth week to take its five week total to Rs 108.1 crore.
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.
