Hindi
Akshay Kumar’s Rustom manages to hold attention while Mohenjo Daro trails way behind
MUMBAI: With two major releases wanting to make the most of the long Independence Day weekend extending toMonday, the media had a field day. However, this was not the case with the two releases. While one raked in the mulla and the audience admiration, the other hit the bottom even before it could take off.
Rustom, with Akshay Kumar playing a naval officer and a murder accused, won half the hearts just by donning his navy uniform; the gaps in the story and the convenient play with the screenplay notwithstanding. With a limited screen engagement compared to big bill movies, the film managed to cross an impressive Rs 14 crore mark. The film held on well and consolidated on day two, Saturday, by over 10% peaking on Sunday by bettering its opening day collections by almost 40% its opening weekend just falling short of the Rs 50 crore mark at Rs 49.85 crore.
The film held on strongly on Monday thanks to the Independence Day national holiday to match itsSunday figures with about Rs 17.8 crore to take its four-day total to Rs 67,65 crore.
Mohenjo Daro, a routine script couched as a pre-historic saga from Mohenjo Daro civilization, pays heavily for total lack of creativity, be it story, script or narration. A routine B grade bahubali story takes the audience for granted who failed to turn up in required number resulting in poor opening day figures.
The film even fell way short of the Rs 10 crore mark on its opening day to collect Rs 8.8 crore, gaining only little on Saturday with the Sunday growth also being insignificant as it struggled to put together Rs 29.8 crore. The film managed to add another Rs 9.25 crore for the Independence Day holiday on Mondayas the poor word of mouth spread. The fact that the film would be carrying an exorbitant price tag would qualify it as a huge disaster.
Budhia Singh- Born To Run, despite much appreciation, does not manage to add much to its opening weekend, collecting Rs 1.9 crore for its first week.
The Legend of Michael Mishra could not add much to its first weekend collections. The film closes its first week with a poor Rs 75 lakh in its first week.
Fever fails to create thrill with its poor suspense drama as it collected a meagre Rs 80 lakh for its first week.
Dishoom did well in its second week though falling short of the promise it showed during the second weekend as it ended its second week with Rs 12.8 crore to take its two-week tally to Rs 64.6 crore.
Madaari braves all oppositions in its third week by collecting Rs 1.25 crore to take its three- week tally to Rs 16.7 crore.
Kabali (Hindi dubbed from Tamil) collected Rs 1.1 crore for its third week to take its three week total to
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.
