Hindi
‘The Amazing Spiderman’ and Bond film ‘Skyfall’ to release in India ahead of US
NEW DELHI: In a rare move, Sony Pictures India is releasing the much-awaited 3D ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ in India on 29 June, almost a week before its American and global release on 3 July.
The film will be released in India in English and three dubbed language versions: Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. A total of over 1000 prints will be released in India alone.
The film stars India’s Irrfan along with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Rhys Ifans.
Meanwhile, well-known films like ‘Men in Black3’ in 3D with the original pairing of Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones and addition of Josh Brolin is set for release on 25 May.
A remake of the 1991 blockbuster Total Recall with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel is slated for release on 3 August.
Later in the year will see releases like the Adam Sandler comedy That’s My Boy, high octane action film Premium Rush starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, claymation comedy The Pirates! Band of Misfits starring Hugh Grant, followed by the return of another big franchise with Resident Evil: Retribution (3D, worldwide 14 September), Here Comes the Boom starring Kevin James and Salma Hayek; and 3D animated film Hotel Transylvania starring Adam Sandler and teen star Selena Gomez, from cult animation director Genndy Tartakovsky known for such Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls.
The year ends with the 23 film in the Bond franchise titled Skyfall (releasing one week before the United States on 2 November) and Sparkle, starring Jordin Sparks and featuring the last film appearance of the late great Whitney Houston. 2013 is another cracker year with Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, sci-fi drama Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, Captain Philips starring Tom Hanks, After Earth starring the father-son pairing of Jaden and Will Smith and follow-ups of superhit films The Smurfs 2 and Grown Ups 2.
“After completing 75 years as a studio in India, 31 of which I have personally been part of, I can say without a doubt that this is our biggest and most exciting line-up ever with tried and tested record-breaking performance at the Indian box office,” said Sony Pictures India MD Kercy Daruwala. “On the whole, we have an ideal mix of the biggest blockbuster action movies as well as comedy, drama and family films with an arsenal of great directors and top rung stars.”
“Our line-up of strong franchise films with mass appeal and already established high brand recall is ideal for unique and exciting co-promotional activities with like-minded brands, both local and international,” said Divya Pathak, Director – Marketing. “Many brands are choosing to partner with our blockbusters because of the incomparable scale of these movies.”
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.
