Hindi
Delhi High Court dismisses plea seeking ban on movie ‘Ram-Leela’
Even as the Delhi High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a ban on the release of the movie Ram-Leela on the ground that it would hurt the religious sentiments of people, a review petition is coming up on this issue in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court later this week.
A division bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Manmohan of Delhi High Court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on NGO Rashtravadi Shiv Sena which filed the plea wanting a change of title of the movie starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone should be changed as it hurts the religious sentiments of people.
(The Allahabad High Court had earlier rejected a similar petition by social activist Nutan Thakur on the ground that the film had not been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification. However, Thakur has filed a review on the plea that the trailer has been passed by the CBFC.)
Ram-Leela, which is scheduled to be released on 15 November, has been directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
The plea in Delhi filed by the NGO’s president Jai Bhagwan Goyal said: “The title Ram-Leela which is understood by Hindus as enactment of the life and story of Lord Ram (Maryada Purshottam), is nowhere doing the same but on the contrary the film is portraying sex, violence and vulgarity, which is deeply hurting the religious sentiments and feelings of Hindus.”
“The enactment, production and scheduled release of the film Ram-Leela is a gross insult to the religious feelings of Hindus,” the plea said, adding the objection is only in respect of naming such a film Ram-Leela.
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.
