Hindi
Filming in Kerala grinds to a halt
MUMBAI: Film shootings in Kerala came to a halt after the Kerala Film Producers Association decided to call off shooting schedules in the state as a result of high production costs.
“We have had several talks with the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) but it failed to yield any positive results and the production costs continue to go up. Now we have decided that we will wait and watch what is going to happen. Our protest is not directed against any organisation,”
remarked Association president Siyad Koker.
FEFKA comprises 19 different organisations that include drivers to directors. It has had a love-hate relation with producers for long and this is not the first time that the film industry is going to come to a grinding halt.
On the other hand, a section of the film theatre owners are also on a war path. This is another reason why the producers have decided to go ahead with the strike.
The film industry is in a crisis because revenues for even blockbusters are falling for various reasons, including the huge influx of pirated CDs available a few days after the filmS hit the theatres.
Exhibitors Association President Liberty Basheer said in a statement that the government was trying to cut service tax and increase ticket rates which was not acceptable.
Meanwhile, it is reported that film shooting in the Malayalam film industry continued despite the strike called by State Film Producers Association as work on few films were to be completed on schedule before ‘pack-up.‘
“Shooting of around 12 films, for which the work was on, went on uninterrupted yesterday,” industry sources said.
The Producers Association, however, said the producers had only been given time for two days for finishing work and the decision to suspend production activities was still on.
The Association has cautioned that action would be taken against producers who will continue with shooting after the prescribed time, the Association said in a statement.
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.
