Hindi
Sunny Deol evinces interest to act in a Punjabi film
Mumbai: Sunny Deol has evinced interest to act in a good Punjabi film, cashing in on the popularity he enjoys in the state of Punjab.
"I‘ve just learnt that the PTC Network has now decided to produce Punjabi feature films. I have asked Ms Rajiee M Shinde, promoter and CEO of PTC Network to tell me about a good concept; I would be happy to act in a Punjabi film," Deol said.
"As you know, our family hails from Punjab. We have immense love for Punjab. And also these awards for the Punjabi Film Industry. Last year, my father (Dharmendra) was here to inaugurate the awards, this year I have come," he added. Deol was recently in Punjab to attend the PTC Punjabi film awards along with Raveena Tandon.
The kind of popularity Sunny enjoys in the Punjab, a strong role in a Punjabi film produced by PTC could well be a confirmed ticket to blockbuster success.
A trade analyst who did not want to be named said: "They will obviously offer him a great film concept and if Sunny paaji gives the nod, it will be a big hit, because the PTC network is a huge platform to promote Punjabi films in Punjab and not just in India but worldwide."
The actor paid a tribute to two other icons of Punjabi entertainment – veteran thespian Dara Singh and satirist and actor Jaspal Bhatti, who died last year. Both were presented posthumous Lifetime Achievement awards, presented by Sunny and Raveena to Vindu Dara Singh and Savita Jaspal Bhatti respectively.
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.
