Hindi
Gulaab Gang Music Launch: Madhuri crusades for womens rights in the spiritual capital of India
MUMBAI: Anubhav Sinha’s, Benaras MediaWorks and T-series released the music of the much awaited film ‘Gulaab Gang’ on Friday, the 24th of January in the spiritual centre of the country, Varanasi. Starring actresses, Madhuri Dixit- Nene and Juhi Chawla in all new avatars, the film comes with the hard hitting message of women empowerment and will premiere on International Women’s Day – the 7th of March, in screens across India.
Keeping in mind the spirit and fervor of the film, the makers put together an event in the interiors of the country emanating the true flavor of India befitting the film. The film’s music was presented by producer Anubhav Sinha, director Soumik Sen, Mushtaq Sheikh and the dazzling actress, Madhuri Dixit- Nene in front of thousands of fans donning the gulaabi-topi.
More than Twenty thousand people packed the grounds and showed their support by turning up wearing gulaabi (pink) caps. Female students from various schools and colleges performed at the event with dance’s and drama’s adding a punch to the film’s social message. The highlight was a rally by students which shouted out slogans and were joined by the crowd gathered vibrating the whole arena.
Playing Rajjo Devi a tough activist crusading for woman’s rights in the film, Madhuri fleshed out her character as she took a pledge in favour of every daughter of the country in front of an eager audience. On popular demand, Madhuri even crooned “Rang di saari Gulaabi Chunariya re” a soulful number from the film giving a glimpse of the striking music, from the equally striking film.
Madhuri Dixit-Nene commented “A daughter keeps the balance intact in a family. There should be a sense of equality between a man and woman present in the society. My character Rajjo in the film is fighting for the same cause. The character maybe different from Madhuri as a person. But Madhuri agrees and stands with Rajjo. The story of Gulaab Gang is a piece of my heart. It make’s me very happy and proud to see the support people have given the film and its message”
Speaking on the launch in Benaras, Anubhav Sinha said “I am honoured by the love and support shown by the people of my hometown, which is very close to my heart. Gulaab Gang is sure to strike a chord in the hearts of millions and I am equally assured by the response I have got from the music launch here today. Women’s empowerment is a pressing issue in our country and Gulaab Gang is just a step towards addressing 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.
