Hindi
UTV to release Raajneeti on 4 June
MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures will release Prakash Jha directed Raajneeti on 4 June.
Raajneeti is co-produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Walkwater Media Ltd.
Raajneeti stars Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai and Naseerrudin Shah along with newcomer Sarah. The music of the film has been composed by Wayne Sharpe and screenplay is by Prakash Jha and Anjum Rajabali.
“Rajneeti is a high drama film with politics as the background and who is more adept and accomplished than Jha to pull off a film based on politics. We believe we have a powerful script and the most exciting cast ensemble of today,” UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur said.
The film has generated interest prior to launch as the storyline matches to that of the Gandhi family with Kaif’s role similar to that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
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.
