Hindi
Akshay Kumar, Ashvini Yardi’s first regional film selected for Pune International Film Festival
MUMBAI: When actor Akshay Kumar teamed up with Ashvini Yardi to form the production house Grazing Goat Pictures, nobody had thought he would get such a good response. After taking the world by storm with their first Bollywood Film Production Oh My God (OMG), the two have embarked on a journey of creating milestones in the entertainment industry with their regional ventures, 72 Miles Ek Pravas, a critically acclaimed Marathi regional film, and Bhaji in Problem, a Punjabi regional film which has garnered admiration internationally.
72 Miles Ek Pravas was the duo’s debut into regional films and has received positive feedback from international audiences when it was shortlisted at the celebrated London Indian Film Festival. Grazing Goat Pictures has now etched another feather in its hat with the film having its second reputable screening at the illustrious 12th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).
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Of the 500 entries in the international feature competition section for PIFF, 14 films have been shortlisted. Out of 35 entries in the Marathi feature competition, only seven movies have been selected, one of which being 72 Miles Ek Pravas, alongside national award-winning filmmaker Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, Aditya Sarpotdar’s Narbachiwadi – produced by Film Farm, Laxman Utekar’s Tapaal, Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar’s Astu, and Rege by Abhijit Panse.
Other categories at the festival include, World Competition, Animation, Live Action, Global Cinema 73, Country Focus, Retrospective, Indian Cinema Today, Legends We Remember, Tribute, Special Screening: NFDC and Gems from NFAI.
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.
