Hindi
TimePass Media launches digiplex project
MUMBAI: TimePass Media Private Limited has announced the launch of their cinema exhibition project to install over 5000 digital 3D cinema halls across small towns and rural India in the next two years.
The company also aims to cover each of the 600,000 villages of India under its entertainment exhibition network in the next next years.
In this regard, the company has lined up commitments of over Rs 6.5 billion for a unique ‘Local Partnership‘ model that will finance and nurture local entrepreneurs and make them owners of The TimePass Digiplex.”
Quoting India‘s UN representative Nirupama Sen, Krishnan said, “India is on the cusp of a demographic dividend. By 2020, compared to China‘s 35 years, the average age of the Indian citizen will be under 30 and the majority of these young people will be in tier III, IV cities, small towns and villages which forms the real India.”
TimePass Media‘s launch of the Digiplexes in small towns and rural India will fulfil the need by providing mainstream big screen entertainment combined with rich multimedia based vocational training in a youth-friendly environment.
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.
