Hindi
Producer, trade analyst and editor Vikas Mohan no more
NEW DELHI: Renowned Bollywood analyst and film producer Vikas Mohan passed away today, aged 65. Mohan who was founder editor of the film trade paper ‘Super Cinema’ suffered a heart attack yesterday evening and was hospitalized. His end came early this morning.
Mohan is survived by his wife and two sons who were presently working with him on his magazine. Mohan had undergone a by-pass surgery around two decades earlier.
Vikas had produced the Gulzar-directed ‘Libaas’ in 1988 earlier which became a national award winner and later produced the film “Arzoo” in 1999 starring Akshay Kumar and Madhuri Dixit.
The last rites were held this afternoon in the presence of a large number of Bollywood celebrities and media persons.
Prior to launching ‘Super Cinema’, Mohan had been editor of ‘Complete Cinema’ which is now edited by his brother Kumar Mohan.
Known to always help out filmmakers, at least nine other Bollywood films including ‘Shagird’, ‘No Problem’, ‘Action Replayy’, ‘Akrosh’, ‘Anjaane’ and ‘Page 3’ carried special or sincere thanks to him in the credits.
Several Bollywood celebrities mourned the death of Mohan. They described him as a respected and wonderful human being.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: “Vikas Mohan, senior journalist owner of Trade magazine, eminent member of film association passes away. Our prayers and condolences.”
Filmmaker Karan Johar in a tweet called him a “a truly respected and loved member of our fraternity… Always helpful and supportive…thoughts and prayers to the family”.
RIP Vikas Mohan…a truly respected and loved member of our fraternity…always helpful and supportive…thoughts and prayers to the family
Filmmaker-actor Satish Kaushik paid condolences on the “demise of dear friend Vikas Mohan… May his soul rest in peace”. He tweeted: Sad to hear abt demise of dear friend # Vikas Mohan..my heartfelt condolences to @amul_mohan and mohan family..may his soul rest in peace..
Veteran actor Anupam Kher said: “Deeply saddened to know about the demise of Vikas Mohan ji. Apart from a veteran film trade analyst, he was wonderful and helpful human being.”
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, saddened by the news of Mohan’s passing away, remembered him as an “always helpful and supportive” person.
Actor Hrithik Roshan shared that Mohan was “one of the most dignified honest and respected journalist”, while actress Sophie Choudry said he was “always so full of life”.
Bipasha Basu: You will be missed Vikas Mohanji. RIP Strength to Amul Mohan, Anshul and family.
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.
