Hindi
Fox Star Studios takes top Hollywood spot in India
MUMBAI: With a string of blockbusters in 2009, starting with Danny Boyle‘s Slumdog Millionaire and ending with James Cameron‘s Avatar, Fox Star Studios has raked in Rs 1.5 billion through its releases in India.
Just into its second year, Fox Star Studios has overtaken other Hollywood studios to sit atop in India.
While the first release Australia created waves at the box-office with the sizzling chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, the success of
8-Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire put the studio ahead of its contemporaries in 2009.
Sequels like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Night at the Museum 2 performed well, beating their simultaneous Bollywood releases at the box-office.
Ice Age 3 released in 3D was a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Grossing
Rs 90 million, the film became one of the the highest-grossing Hollywood animated film in India.
While Marley & Me touched the hearts of Indian audiences with its heart-rending tale, Bride Wars found an instant connect with the female audiences.
Fox‘s foray into Indian cinema with Quick Gun Murugan, however, did not pay off with the movie bombing at the box-office.
Finally, it was James Cameron‘s Avatar that did the magic by smashing all records at the Indian and international box-offices. The film has already crossed a collection of Rs 5.5 million in India, beating Titanic as the biggest ever Fox film in India.
Says Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh, “Through our Hollywood releases round the year, we have garnered Rs 1.5 billion. We promise an even more entertaining 2010 beginning with My Name is Khan!”
Fox Star Studios‘ slate in 2010 includes Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief in February, Amelia in March, Date Night, Wall Street 2 in April, Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel in May, The ‘A‘ Team in June, Knight & Day, Predators in July and Chronicles of Narnia 3 in December.
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.
