Hindi
India’s a big part at the 66th Cannes Film Festival
MUMBAI: Hindi film actress Vidya Balan and ‘Life of Pi‘ director Ang Lee will be part of the prestigious 66th Cannes Film Festival‘s nine-member jury. The jury will be headed by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg.
The other big names joining Spielberg are Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, Oscar-winner Christophe Waltz, Japanese director Naomi Kawase, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay, French actor-director Daniel Auteuil and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu.
The jury will award the coveted Palme d‘Or prize to one of the 19 films in competition at this year‘s festival, which runs from May 15 to 26.
Balan, 35, currently one of the most successful actors in India, is best known for her path-breaking roles in films like The Dirty Picture, Bhool Bhulaiya, Kahaani and Parineeta.
Apart from Balan, actor/director Nandita Das is also a part of a separate jury for short films. Director Shekhar Kapur and actress Sharmila Tagore have previously featured in the Cannes jury.
Cannes has invited India this year to celebrate 100 years of the country‘s cinema. The festival will open with ‘The Great Gatsby‘, which also has Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in a cameo. The actor will be attending the opening ceremony with his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, a regular at Cannes‘ red carpet. This year she has been extended a special invite to the festival.
This year, four Indian films have been selected in different non-competition categories at Cannes. Bombay Talkies, an anthology film by four directors – Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar – will have a gala screening at the festival.
Kashyap will also be screening his Ugly in festival‘s Directors‘ Fortnight sidebar where he earlier showcased his two-part revenge drama Gangs of Wasseypur.
Dabba (Lunchbox) and Monsoon Shootout, co-produced by Kashyap, have been selected for Cannes Critics Week and Midnight Screening sections respectively.
Hindi
Dhurandhar returns to theatres worldwide on March 13 ahead of Dhurandhar The Revenge release
Jio Studios re-releases blockbuster across 500 screens globally before sequel
MUMBAI: The spy saga of Dhurandhar is gearing up for a big-screen encore before its next chapter arrives.
Ahead of the release of Dhurandhar The Revenge on March 19, Jio Studios and B62 Studios are bringing the original Dhurandhar back to cinemas worldwide in a rare international theatrical re-release.
The global blockbuster is returning across nearly 500 screens, including around 250 in India from March 12 and another 250 overseas beginning March 13.
For fans of the franchise, the move offers a chance to revisit the film that ignited the high-octane spy-action universe just days before the sequel lands in theatres. It also sets up a rare back-to-back big-screen experience, allowing audiences to relive the original before diving straight into the next chapter.
While re-releases of popular films are occasionally seen in India, international re-runs of Hindi films remain uncommon. The scale of the rollout reflects the growing global appetite for the franchise.
In North America alone, Dhurandhar will return to theatres across nearly 185 screens, highlighting the strong anticipation surrounding the upcoming sequel.
The excitement is set to build further with special Wednesday premiere shows of Dhurandhar The Revenge scheduled across the US and Canada on March 18, a day ahead of its global release. Many of these premieres will be hosted on premium large format screens, featuring wall-to-wall displays, immersive sound systems such as Dolby Atmos, enhanced projection and luxury seating.
These formats are typically reserved for major Hollywood event films, and early bookings suggest strong demand with several shows already sold out.
The recently released trailer of Dhurandhar The Revenge has also sparked buzz among exhibitors and trade circles, with expectations running high for the film’s international performance.
Dhurandhar The Revenge is written, directed and produced by Aditya Dhar. The film is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar.
Jio Studios presents a B62 Studios production, an Aditya Dhar film.
The spy-action thriller will release worldwide on March 19, 2026, in five languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
The film arrives in theatres globally on the occasion of Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, just ahead of Eid, setting the stage for a festive box office run.
