Hindi
Whistling Woods introduces short courses
MUMBAI: Whistling Woods International (WWI) has introduced the WWI Short Course Unit with an aim to give professionals, students and amateurs an opportunity to explore specific aspects of television and motion picture production.
The first six short courses starting in the month of April, the duration ranging between three to twelve months, will be in multi-cam production (Rs 25,000), production design (Rs 20,000), fundamentals of film appreciation (Rs 7,500), tools of method acting (Rs 20,000), still photography (Rs 13,000) and fundamentals of pro-tool (Rs 25,000). The courses will start in the month of 15 April.
The fees for the regular two-year diploma courses and workshops that offer a range of technical and creative options that combine teaching with hands down training in acting, cinematography, direction, editing, producing, screenwriting, sound recording and design costs Rs 1.66 million.
In addition to the Short Course Unit, Whistling Woods International has also launched an online screenwriting course.
WWI has also introduced a diploma in screenwriting for Television and a diploma in acting.
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.
