Hindi
Santosh Sivan inducted in ASC
MUMBAI: Santosh Sivan, one of the country‘s distinguished cinematographers, has been inducted into the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).
The ASC is an organisation whose members are all cinematographers from across the world. Sivan is the first South-Asian cinematographer to be thus honoured. The ASC has only 340 members.
Sivan said, “I‘ve to thank all my directors. The induction means something special cause and hence I guess being invited by accomplished visual artistes is special. The ASC has very limited visual artistes who belong to one of the oldest society in the world.”
A graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Sivan went on to complete 45 features and 41 documentaries. A founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC), he is the most awarded director of photography (DP) in India.
He was awarded the National Film Awards for Best Cinematography four times, for the films Perumthachan, Kaalapani, Iruvar and Dil Se.
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.
