Hindi
Two PNC films to grace Houston WorldFest 2010
MUMBAI: This year‘s Houston International Film Festival will feature not one but two films from the PNC stable.
The first, Ek Tho Chance, has been directed by filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza while the second would be Saluun made by debut director Nikhil Bhat. Both the films have been nominated for the prestigious REMI awards in the feature film category at this year‘s festival.
“Saluun definitely represents the fresh breed of Indian filmmakers and it‘s a great pleasure for us to screen the film at the Festival,” says WorldFest Houston International Film Festival chairman and founding Director J. Hunter Todd.
“Saluun is funny, clever, heart-warming and it introduces a new director, Nikhil Bhat, who brings fresh insight into where popular Bollywood cinema can go. We are also very excited about Saeed Akhtar Mirza‘s Ek Tho Chance, which has been already acclaimed at various international platforms,” Todd adds.
Avers PNC Chairman Pritish Nandy, “Ek Tho Chance marks the return of the master, Saeed Akhtar Mirza (Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hain, Salim Lande Pe Mat Ro, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Nukkad). Ek Tho Chance is a delightful new take on Mumbai, the City of Dreams.
“Saluun is based on a true incident and it brings the magic of India to our screens. The film is about middle-class, middle India that you rarely see in today‘s Bollywood movies. It‘s a narrative of hope and magic.”
The ten-day festival starts on 9 April.
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.
