Hindi
Amole Gupte casts Saqib Saleem in Hawaa Hawaai
Writer-director Amole Gupte had promised to make another ‘heartwarming’ film after his masterpiece Stanley Ka Dabba. The details of the movie, to be produced by Fox Star Studios, are finally out.
Titled Hawaa Hawaai, the film is about ‘dreamers’, according to Gupte. The filmmaker has roped in Bombay Talkies actor Saqib Saleem in the lead. His son Partho Gupte, who won the National Film Award for his role as Stanley, will also be seen in the film.
Hawaa Hawaai is the story of how a dream can be achieved. Gupte elaborates, “Dreamers possess the might to move mountains. This dream flight is the triumph of human spirit in the wake of adversity… rooted so deep in our ethos that the identification with the protagonists of the tale is instant. I have been so lucky to have netted two magical performers ably supported by an ensemble cast that is equally talented and exciting.”
Hawaa Hawaai is set to release on 18 April 2014. And considering Gupte’s contribution to films such as Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba, this new offering from the director would be highly anticipated.
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.
