Hindi
Anubhav Sinha launches film production house
MUMBAI: Six films-old Anubhav Sinha has taken the plunge and launched his film production house called Benaras Media.
For starters, Sinha has firmed up three films. The first of the lot will be an action film, directed by Sudhir Mishra. While the second movie will be helmed by Gurmeet, a former assistant on several YRF films, the third will be directed by Sinha himself.
The script of the first film is a combination of cerebral and physical action, a kind of Bourne Identity meeting Jackie Chan. It will have a huge star cast and some of the most elaborate action often seen in Hong Kong’s Kung Fu films.
It is being said that Shah Rukh Khan will play the main lead while Irrfan Khan, Arunoday Singh and Vidyut Jamwal are being slotted into the other roles.
The film would start rolling once Mishra gets the final cast of his ambitious project, Mehrunissa, in place.
Sinha had earlier directed films like Tum Bin, Aap Ko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai, Dus, Tathastu, Cash and Ra.One.
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.
