Hindi
Dhanush’s ‘3’ to release on 30 March
MUMBAI: Kastoori Raja‘s forthcoming film 3, which came on to the international scene when its song Kolaveri Di created a milestone when it was put up on YouTube, is being readied for a nationwide release on 30 March.
The film, jointly produced by Raja‘s RK Productions and Dhanush‘s Wunderbar Films, has been directed by Rajnikant‘s daughter Aishwarya R Dhanush.
Being Dhanush‘s directorial debut, the father-in-law did have his doubts about her filmmaking ability. “But I couldn‘t say ‘No‘ after Dhanush showed me the script because it was very good. Aishwarya took only 50 days to complete the film,” she said.
Raja, who is known for his scripts in films like En Rasavin Manasilay and Naatuppura Paatu, is expected to direct a film in Malayalam that could be a remake of one of his earlier Tamil films.
The film will release with 400 prints in Tamil and 600 prints for the Hindi version.
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.
