Hindi
Release of Housefull 2 preponed to IPL time
MUMBAI: Sajid Nadiadwala has preponed the release of his upcoming film, Housefull 2. The film will now be released by Eros International on 5 April instead of 1 June 2012.
The reason of the postponement came in the wake of YRF’s decision to release their Salman Khan-starrer Ek Tha Tiger on 1 June. Nadiadwala didn’t want a clash with the release of a Salman Khan film. So he thought it better to prepone than postpone the release of Housefull 2.
Housefull 2 is a comedy in true Sajid Khan style and stars Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Riteish Deshmukh along with Asin Thottumkal, Jacqueline Fernandez, Randhir Kapoor, Zarine Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Boman Irani and Chunky Pandey.
Nadiadwala’s move can also be seen as further emboldening of Bollywood’s decision to take the IPL head on. The League goes underway on 4 April. Early last week, Vidhu Vinod Chopra made open his plans to release Ferrari Ki Sawari on 27 April next year.
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.
