Hindi
Ultra to promote 3D Marathi films
MUMBAI: Ultra Media & Entertainment is all set to promote 3D Marathi films in India. Ultra Studios & Digital Labs – a division of Ultra Media & Entertainment with its state of the art studio will be offering various end-to-end 3D film making solutions for the Marathi filmmakers in subsidized rates globally.
A custom made solutions package will be provided for every 3D filmmaker as per their unique requirements under this vertical. The core idea behind this initiative is to provide specialized, hi-tech 3D content output of global standards for these filmmakers in India.
The various services offered under this vertical will be: 2D to 3D Stereoscopic Conversion using the studio’s in-house indigenous software VFX for 3D films; analytical quality measurement and enhancement software application; providing specialized 3D direct cameras on rental supply made to order 3D camera rigs on rental; and provide technically sound stereographers for film direction and assistance etc.
In the recent past, the Marathi film industry has been churning some interesting 3D films but with a rare frequency. The first 3D film in Marathi Aai Mala Maru Nako was made by Satyaprakash Mangtan and released in 2012. This was followed with Zapatlela 2 by Mahesh Kothare in 2013. Dhyaaas, which released in 2014 was the last 2D to 3D stereoscopic film in Marathi that was released in India.
Currently young filmmakers are making interesting films on various contemporary and out of the box subjects. This has opened up a new set of viewers who patronize such films. 3D technology can enhance viewing experience especially of films made by these makers in certain genres like sci-fi, action and adventure, horror and thriller etc.
Ultra, in the recent past, had successfully provided complete 3D solutions to many national and international projects. Especially by providing these 3D solutions package, Ultra particularly wants these experimental filmmakers to experience the “Make in India” phenomenon in its true sense.
In their endeavor to provide a one-stop shop service for the Marathi film industry from shooting the first scene to the end DPX/ DCP format, Ultra Studios recently also started providing them with their state of the art, in-house post-production facilities in subsidized rates.
Ultra Media & Entertainment MD Sushil Kumar Agrawal said, “We at Ultra have always offered all our services abreast with its latest technology. Currently Marathi cinema is going through a very interesting phase with films made in all genres possible for the global audience. I can foresee many Marathi films being made in 3D in the immediate future and our specialized 3D film solutions will only enhance the story telling and viewing experience for the audience. By offering these exclusive services in subsidized rates we only would like to help these filmmakers. It will actually assist them to completely concentrate in their craft of making interesting 3D films with less commercial burden.”
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.
