Hindi
A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky: Dream native and act Hollywood
The title of the film needs some elaborate explaining. A film’s title says a lot about the film. When did you last hear somebody use the word Gentleman? It is a phrase from history, the British era. And, what is more, does the title say anything at all about the film? It does not, nothing at all.
A Gentleman seems to be a film inspired from all the popular action movies from the late 20th Century James Bond, Bourne Identity and such. The idea is to dream native and act Hollywood.
Director-duo Raj and Dk’s films like Go Goa Gone and Shor in the City are mostly made on alien themes. A Gentleman is also one of those where there is action galore, justification be damned.
The character of Sidharth Malhotra, living in Miami, works for a force called National Security Council, headed by the character of Suniel Shetty. Though dealing in violence, at heart he is a simple man with simple dreams of having a home and family. He wants to settle down with his love played by Jaqueline Fernandez, to a quiet life and bring up kids! As the film’s tagline says, he is Sundar, Susheel, Risky.
Towards this end, Sidharth plays a simple man, Gautam, with no hint of his other side as the undercover operative, Rishi. He wants to get out of this business to live a tranquil life. But, the Group and Shetty won’t let him. He will be hunted down by Shetty’s men. What follows is mayhem. It is the stylish, Bond kind of action with guys dressed in tuxedos spraying bullets.
The flavour is that of a light comedy as dialogues laced with humour are thrown around. It is mainly all about Sidharth and Jacqueline hanging around driving fast cars and pole dancing.
Being a Hollywood type film made by Indians, the location is the picturesque Miami, the style is like a Bond film. Humour and action are the mainstay of the film. The emphasis is on style rather than content.
The direction is slick. Cinematography captures the locations very well. But, stretching a film on such a genre, with not yet established faces, to 133 minutes takes its toll. Things get monotonous. The film could have done with some trimming. Songs don’t help much.
Sidharth passes the sartorial test but is yet to polish up his performance. Jacqueline provides the glamour quotient. Shetty gets little worthwhile to do.
Amit Mistry and Hussain Dalal make their presence felt. Rajit Kapoor and Supriya Pilgaonkar are okay.
A Gentleman has not been able to arouse any curiosity through its pre-release promotions while the title is also uninspiring. Faces poor prospects.
Producer: Fox Star Studios.
Directors: Raj and D K.
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez, Suniel Shetty, Darshan Kumar, Hussain Dalal, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Rajit Kapur.
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.
