Hindi
NFDC gets into DAVP role, can release govt ads
MUMBAI: The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) has got additional legs to support it financially. As part of the restructuring, the government has allowed the corporation, which is traditionally into funding meaningful movies, to release advertisements and publicity along the lines of DAVP (Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity).
“We will be doing the social awareness advertisements for television, radio, internet and theatres. We have started the process and already have clients like the Ministry of Health, Income Tax department and Ministry of Agriculture,” NFDC managing director Nina Gupta tells Indiantelevision.com.
NFDC‘s other catches include Department of Ayush, National Aids Control Organisation and National Disaster Management in India.
In its additional role, NFDC will be producing social adverts in audio visual formats. “We are already into film making, so it is a logical extension for us,” avers Gupta.
NFDC has accumulated losses of Rs 276.2 million as on 31 March 2009. The corporation gets an annual grant of Rs 65 million from the government.
Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni had urged all Union Ministries and state governments to give production work of documentaries and video spots of their states to NFDC.
NFDC has also gone through a rightsizing, offering a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to 70 of its employees.
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.
