Hindi
Suresh Oberoi as Dr Rajkumar in Tamil film on Veerappan
MUMBAI: Director AMR Ramesh, known to make films based on real life incidents and controversial subjects, is making a Tamil film Vana Yudham based on the story of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan and Dr Rajkumar, whom the former took as a hostage.
Ramesh said in a statement, “I was always interested in Veerappan and his life. In fact, right from the time I was a child, I‘ve been interested in his life history.”
In 2000 when Ramesh was researching for a project, Dr Rajkumar‘s kidnapping took place. The director knew Kempaiah, the officer who had surrounded Sivarasan‘s house in Bangalore before the shoot out happened.
After Dr Rajkumar‘s release, Kempaiah was chosen as STF chief and he led the search for the brigand in the forest. Ramesh went ahead and collected details from him and two other officers Vijayakumar and Senthamarai Kannan who were responsible for getting Veerappan.
“Only these two officers know how exactly Veerappan met his end. Vanayudham is about how Vijayakumar and Senthamarai Kannan tracked and killed Veerappan,” Ramesh declared.
While Kishore plays Veerappan, Arjun plays Vijayakumar, Vijayalakshmi plays Veerappan‘s wife and Suresh Oberoi essays the role of Dr Rajkumar.
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.
