Hindi
Word of mouth improves Queen’s weekend collection
MUMBAI: Much was expected from the Madhuri- Juhi starrer Gulaab Gang but the film turned out to be just another good vs evil story where women do the stunts otherwise done by guys. The film was below average during its opening weekend and will only go down further as the week progresses. The film managed to collect Rs 7.1 crore during its first weekend as the word spread about poor content.
Total Siyapaa, starring Ali Zafar and Yami Gautam, is rejected outright and may face discontinuation from many cinemas mid-week. The film collected just about Rs 3.5 crore in its opening weekend.
Queen has been appreciated as a lighthearted fun film about a ‘ditched at the mandap’ girl who decides to explore the places alone which, she would have otherwise been to with her husband. The film has grown each day during the weekend and is expected to do steady business as the week progresses. Though the opening day collections of the film were low – with positive word of mouth – the collections doubled on Saturday and improved by a huge margin on Sunday. The film’s weekend collection stood at Rs 10.15 crore.
Shaadi Ke Side Effects bringing together the pair of Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan struggles through its first week to collect Rs 30.2 crore. The film has drawn much flak from the viewers.
Gunday has added about Rs 2 crore in its third week to take its four week total to Rs 78.4 crore.
Hasee Toh Phasee has collected Rs 40 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 35.5 crore.
Hindi
Jio Studios, Sanjay Dutt team up to revive Khal Nayak
Rights acquired for new version, format under wraps as remake plans take shape.
MUMBAI: The villain is back and this time, he’s rewriting his own script. Jio Studios has partnered with Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Aspect Entertainment to revive the 1993 cult classic Khal Nayak, marking a fresh chapter for one of Bollywood’s most iconic anti-hero stories. The original film, directed by Subhash Ghai under Mukta Arts, was a commercial and cultural milestone, with Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal of Ballu becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable performances.
Dutt, along with Aksha Kamboj, has now acquired the rights from the original creators, bringing on board Jio Studios and its President Jyoti Deshpande to steer the project creatively.
While the exact format whether remake, sequel, prequel, or a completely new narrative remains undisclosed, the collaboration aims to reinterpret the story for contemporary audiences while retaining the essence that made the original a defining film of the 1990s.
The move taps into a broader industry trend of reviving legacy intellectual property, particularly characters with strong recall value. “Khal Nayak” was notable for pushing mainstream Hindi cinema into morally grey territory at a time when heroes were largely one-dimensional, making Ballu’s character a standout.
The project also marks the film production debut of Aspect Entertainment, signalling a push towards more technology-led storytelling frameworks. Meanwhile, Jio Studios continues to expand its slate, having built a library of over 200 films and series, with more than 60 titles collectively winning 500-plus awards.
For Dutt, the revival is as much personal as it is strategic, a return to a role that reshaped his career. For the industry, it is another sign that nostalgia, when paired with scale, remains a powerful box-office proposition.
Because in Bollywood, some villains never fade, they just wait for the perfect comeback.
