Hindi
Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Do’ Renamed ‘Wazir’
MUMBAI: After creating buzz with the first look of the film which showcases the actors (Farhan Akhtar and Amitabh Bachchan) engaged in a game of chess with Big B seated on a wheelchair against the backdrop of the famous Haus Khas village in Delhi, the makers of the movie has another surprising announcement.
Earlier named Do, the upcoming film of Bachchan and Akhtar has been officially titled Wazir.
Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, the film is being written and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The movie also stars Aditi Rao Hyadri as AKhtar’s love interest.
Farhan took to Twitter to announce the change in the film’s title. “The Vidhu Vinod Chopra/ Bejoy Nambiar film is now officially titled Wazir,” he tweeted.
Bachchan, 72, is reportedly playing an ailing bed ridden chess master in the movie while Akhtar, 40, will play an ATS officer in the film. The film is slated to go on floor on 29 September 2015.
Bachchan has earlier worked with Chopra in 2007 film Eklavya: The Royal Guard but this is the first collaboration between the actor and Nambiar, best known for helming Shaitan.
The megastar is currently working on Shoojit Sircar’s Piku starring Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan. On the other hand, Farhan Akhtar is wrapping up his sister Zoya Akhtar’s film Dil Dhadakne Do. The actor is also producing films like Bangistan, Raees and the upcoming film on time travelling starring Sidharth Malhotra under his banner Excel Entertainment.
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.
