Hindi
Eros appoints Rajesh Bahl as chief digital officer
MUMBAI: Eros International Media has appointed Rajesh Bahl as chief digital officer.
Bahl will spearhead Eros‘ digital initiatives across all the new media platforms including mobile, online, DTH, IPTV, cable and other emerging platforms.
Bahl moves in from Star India where he headed the mobile business as part of Star Digital group.
Said Eros International Plc Group CEO & MD Jyoti Deshpande, “The Indian market is at an inflection point as far as the digital revolution is concerned, be it mobile, DTH, IPTV or broadband. We hope to monetise our large content library through these new media platforms and also make strategic inroads in the space. Rajesh‘s experience in music, home entertainment and television made him an ideal candidate to spearhead our digital strategy in India.”
Avers Bahl, “Eros is an established global player with the advantage of a large content library. With the advent of new digital opportunities in India, I am extremely keen to put my experience into motion. The width and depth of the opportunity both internally for Eros and externally for the sector is exciting and I am confident that the next 2-3 years will be ground-breaking.”
Bahl brings with him over 12 years of experience in the media and entertainment space. Besides spending more than three years at Star, Bahl has also worked with international music labels like Universal Music and Sony Music handling various assignments including A&R and marketing, content acquisition and licensing, sales and business development for around 9 years.
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.
