Hindi
Amitabh Bachchan to reprise the role of Kabuliwala
MUMBAI: French-Afghan filmmaker Atiq Rahimi is in plans to cast Amitabh Bachchan in a film based on Rabindranath Tagore‘s story of an Afghan dry-fruit seller and his love for a little girl whom he takes as his daughter.
Though the story has been adapted a number of times for the big screen in the past, at least two versions of the tale have been made famous in films with Rahimi‘s being the third. It has been reported that Bachchan will reprise the role of the Kabuliwala made famous by Balraj Sahni in one of the earlier cinematic adaptations of the story. The film will be shot predominantly in Kolkata while parts of it will be shot in Afghanistan next year.
Though Bachchan is a veteran in the field of acting, people in the trade feel that it wouldn‘t be easy for him to fit into the shoes of actors who earlier played the iconic role of Rehmat Khan – Sahni and also that of Bengal‘s veteran actor Chhabi Biswas‘ interpretation of the same.
Bachchan has played an Afghan in Khuda Gawah. Meanwhile, he has been honoured by the Australian government for his remarkable contribution to the Indian cinema, which is celebrating its centenary year.
Said the veteran actor on his blog, "Another recognition by the Australian Government and its Commission here in Mumbai, in celebration for the 100 years of Indian Cinema, and my contribution towards fructifying the relations between the two countries… I am most humbled."
Last year, Bachchan was felicitated with an honorary doctorate by the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.
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.
