Hindi
Binod Pradhan to direct Rs 800 mn project, Buddha
MUMBAI: Cinematographer Binod Pradhan, who has films like Mausam, Rang De Basanti and Devdas to his credit, will soon wield the megaphone for the Rs 800 million film Buddha, a project that could not fructify in several attempts earlier.
However, Pradhan is not deterred by the earlier setbacks. “I am aware that many eminent directors have failed to realise their dream of making a film on Buddha. But I have always nursed this dream of turning director with a film on Buddha.
“I am from Kalimpong and though I am Hindu, I grew up with Buddha and Buddhism all around me. Buddhism doesn’t belong to India, China or Tibet. It’s an integral part of civilization. I was attracted to the subject. When producer Sheetal Talwar came forward with the idea of a Buddha bio-pic, I jumped at it,” he has been quoted in reports.
A bio-pic on the life of the Gautam Buddha was recently planned by Pinjar director Chandra Prakash Dwivedi with Amitabh Bachchan in the lead. The project was aborted and so was Ashutosh Gowariker’s attempt to make a film on the same subject.
Pradhan doesn’t want to cast a known face in the title role. “Casting a known face will make the character seem biographical. I want to cast an unknown face who also happens to be a brilliant actor,” Pradhan averred.
Amish Tripathi, whose Shiva Trilogy and the Immortals Of Meluha are national bestsellers, has been roped in to write the screenplay for the film.
With the research and pre-production preparations for the film already underway, the film is likely to go into production after he finishes shooting of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Farhan Akhtar-starrer Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
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.
