Hindi
‘2 States’ sizzles at box office
MUMBAI: 2 States, a youth oriented love story with all the traditional Indian ingredients packaged to contemporary tastes, took off with flying colours, the opening day being to near full houses at the multiplexes.
The film maintained well on Saturday and peaked on Sunday as expected. The film collected Rs 37.6 crore for its opening weekend.
Bhootnath Returns, which opened to weak collections on Friday, improved on Saturday and Sunday only to lose the momentum as the week progressed. After a weekend of Rs 18.2 crore, the film could add only Rs 10.1 crore over other four days to show Rs 28.1 crore at the end of its first week.
Main Tera Hero sustained well in its second week to collect Rs 12.55 crore taking its two week total to Rs 48.75 crore.
Ragini MMS 2 has added a symbolic Rs 20 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 47.05 crore.
Queen reaches the end of its glorious run by adding another Rs 1.05 crore for its sixth week and taking its six week total to Rs 57.5 crore.
The success of Queen has made the forthcoming Kangna Ranaut starrer Revolver Rani, a movie to look forward to in the film trade and also with the audience. On this count, the exhibitors expect more from this film than the other two releases slated for 25 April, Samrat & Co. and Kaanchi.
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.
