Hindi
DAR Motion Picture unveils first look of City of Gold
MUMBAI: DAR Motion Picture (DAR), the filmed entertainment division of DAR Media, unveiled the first look of its maiden film City of Gold.
The film has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and Marathi, with the Hindi version titled City of Gold – Mumbai 1982: Ek Ankahi Kahani.
City of Gold is the first in a series of three movies that DAR is working on with Mahesh Manjrekar, and also marks the return of the director to Hindi cinema after a gap of four years.
While the second film is a Bengali-language venture with Mithun Chakraborty in the lead, the banner‘s third project is a yet to be titled A-list starrer, currently in pre-production, with principal photography scheduled to commence in March, this year.
Said DAR Capital, chairman Arun Rangachari, “We aim to indigenously conceive and develop benchmark creative concepts, utilise the best available technical and artistic expertise, deploy comprehensive marketing best-practices and utilise a host of innovative and focused content delivery channels, to reach out to audiences not only in India but globally. This is well reflected in our choice of really good content-driven subjects such as City of Gold and our association with highly competent and well-respected directors such as Mahesh.”
“Furthermore, we have taken a long-term view of our association with the Indian film industry and have in fact commenced working on our next two projects with Mahesh even before the release of City of Gold. Both of these films will be on the floors by the month of March, with the Bengali film scheduled for a summer-2010 release,” Rangachari added.
The entire film was wrapped up from start-to-finish in a matter of less than three months, and today I am extremely satisfied with how it has shaped up. It definitely has been one of the most challenging and exciting projects I have ever worked on and I personally feel that this is one of the best projects I have executed,” Manjrekar added.
On the occasion, DAR Capital Group also launched the ‘City of Gold‘ website, cityofgoldthefilm.com.
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.
