Hindi
Warner Music Group scores with ‘Avijatrik – The Wanderlust Of Apu’
Mumbai: Warner Music Group India has made its first Bengali acquisition by acquiring worldwide sales and distribution rights of the much-awaited film, “Avijatrik – The Wanderlust Of Apu.” The film is produced by Gaurang Films & Bhandarkar Entertainment and co-presented by NCKS Explorations.
“Avijatrik” is a unique film with a rich legacy & soulful music, with the enduring and endearing character of ‘Apu’ is all set to return after 60 years to the big screens on 3 December. It is a sequel to the classic “Apu Trilogy,” directed by Satyajit Ray & BG score by Pt Ravi Shankar.
The plot takes off from where “The Apu Trilogy” had ended in 1959 with “Apur Sansar.” The story revolves around a sublime bond between a father (Apu) and his six-year-old son (Kajol). The film has explored a beautiful tapestry of pure interpersonal relationships to recreate the magic of Apu– sharing adventures with his beloved son, Kajol and is directed by Subhrajit Mitra. “Avijatrik” has been shot in B&W with an ensemble of experienced cast and crew at 68 locations to retain the rich aesthetic flavour that compliments its backdrop of 1940’s India. It stars Arjun Chakrabarty (as Apu), Ditipriya Roy, Arpita Chatterjee, and Sabyasachi Chakrabarty in key roles.
The music of this film is by the internationally acclaimed exponent of the Indian classical genre Pt Bickram Ghosh and the title track is a variation by Anoushka Shankar, of her father Pt Ravi Shankar’s iconic “Pather Panchali” theme. “I am happy to be a part of Avijatrik as a small tribute to my father,” commented Anoushka.
The film has traveled to 32 film festivals worldwide, garnering multiple accolades. Pt Bickram Ghosh has already received two awards for Best Music for his beautiful compositions & BG score at the Montreal Independent Film Festival, Canada, and Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival of Boston USA. “The music of Avijatrik is very special for me, as is the validation of it by Chinamma (Smt Sukaya Shankar Ji). The plan was to bring back traditional instruments, the soundscape of the ’40s, the best of the raga culture, and folk music. I am honoured that I got this project and feel grateful for the awards,” said Pt Bickram Ghosh.
The trailer of Avijatrik is also creating waves and has already had nearly 800,000 views so far.
Speaking about this alliance with WMI, producer Gaurang Jalan stated, “Team Avijatrik is delighted with this association and hopes that music of this film will travel far and wide with their global experience& leadership.”
Co-presenter Madhur Bhandarkar added, “We are delighted with the association with WMI &there would be no better reward than the music of this film reigniting the love for Indian classical music, globally!”
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.
