Hindi
Easing of govt clearance attracts foreign filmmakers to India
MUMBAI: Aided by a speedy clearance from the Indian government, foreign filmmakers are increasingly turning to India for shooting of their movies.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has already approved 17 foreign movie projects this year.
In 2008, the I&B Ministry had cleared 27 foreign film productions to shoot in different locations of India. This is similar to 2007, but higher from the figure of 22 projects in 2006.
The Indian government has, thus, granted approval to 93 foreign film productions over the last three years.
While 33 productions are of UK based organisations, 17 are of US origin. The other productions relate to France, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Russia, Georgia, Italy, Israel, Bangladesh and Pakistan among others.
The Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire was granted permission in the year 2007 under the original title of “Q&A”. The celebrated movie A Mighty Heart, featured at the Cannes Film Festival, was approved for shooting near Pune in 2006 with the star cast of Angelina Jolie.
Goa, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Pune, Panchmarhi, Mumbai, Thane, Madh Island, Versova, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad are some of the preferred locations for foreign film shoots in India.
The I&B Ministry has streamlined the procedure for granting permissions for shooting in India. The permission process normally takes not more than three weeks. The production houses are required to apply for permission of feature films in India to the I&B with details of their chosen locations and the script of the production.
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.
