Hindi
Lahore film denied release in Pakistan
MUMBAI: Sai Om Films’s Lahore has been denied a release in Pakistan.
The reason that the Pakistani authorities cite for the denial is the title of the film, which is being looked upon as creating problems in the neighbouring country. Another reason relates to a common perception that Indian films show Pakistan in a negative perspective.
Yet another initiative to defy all the boundaries and show the world that no war is bigger than the silence of peace has gone in vain. Based on the sport of ‘Kickboxing’, the film will release globally on 19 March 2010.
Though director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan tried to take a step ahead in bringing down barriers and also took a daring decision of naming his film Lahore, all efforts now seem to be going against him.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in India, Lahore stars a blend of talented actors like Farouque Sheikh, Nafisa Ali, Sushant Singh, Shraddha Nigam, Saurabh Shukla, Kelly Dorji, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Late Nirmal Pandey and Mukesh Rishi.
Quips producer Vivek Khatkar, “I can understand the apprehensions that the concerned authorities of Pakistan have, but I can only say that we have made an International film and not just another Indian film. Only the language of the film is Hindi. It is a sports-based film and on general issues, which can be between any two nations and not only India-Pakistan. But the actual hero of the film is the emotions of a family and not that of just countries.”
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.
