Hindi
Zee Cinema to air Taapsee Pannu-starrer ‘Rashmi Rocket’ on 27 Nov
Mumbai: Zee Cinema is set to telecast the world TV premiere of Taapsee Pannu-starrer “Rashmi Rocket” on 27 November at 8 p.m.
The film tells the inspiring story of Rashmi Vira (Pannu) – a spirited tomboy from Kutch, with a carefree childhood and supportive parents who always encouraged her to push her limits and become a world athletic champion. However, her career comes to a dead end when she becomes a victim of gender bias faced by female athletes. Thereafter, begins her journey to overcome all barriers and fight for justice.
Directed by Akash Khurana, the film also features Abhishek Banerjee, Supriya Pathak, Supriya Pilgaonkar and Priyanshu Painyuli in pivotal roles.
“Playing the role of captain Gagan in Rashmi Rocket has been more than special to me. Growing up, I witnessed the journey of my dad who is a retired colonel from Assam regiment. It’s because of him that my fascination and inclination towards the armed forces only grew, while acting is something that is my passion,” said Priyanshu Painyuli on his character in the film. “My love for cinema and the deep respect for the army perfectly coalesced in this role and I am only grateful that it was offered to me. I remember sending pictures to my family in the army uniform and they all told me that I resembled my dad from his early days as a young captain.”
“Whenever I pick a role, I place the script and the character at the primal importance. When I read about my character in the film, I was immediately intrigued as Eeshit is someone who fights for a cause – an athlete, someone who takes a stand and wants to bring about a change,” said Abhishek Banerjee. “To prepare for the role, I always thought of someone who fights for change and maybe that’s why I connected with the character. I think this came as a great opportunity to understand a human-like that and it inspired me in ways I didn’t imagine.”
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.
