Hindi
AP govt exempts Lotus Pond of entertainment tax
MUMBAI: The Andhra Pradesh government has exempted Telugu movie Lotus Pond from entertainment tax. It has also sanctioned it to run an extra show in the mornings.
The film that was shortlisted for the 17th International Children‘s Film Festival, revolves around two students of a boarding school driven by their inquisitiveness to explore the mythical Lotus Pond in the Himalayas.
They set for a journey in the Himalayas during one of their classes at school, thinking they would return back. They do not know that the journey includes terrains at 14,000 ft.
Along the way, the mountain and its people help these boys finally reach the pond. But they don‘t find the lotus there… The rest forms the crux of the film.
Puri Jagannath‘s son Akash Petla along with Rohit Ranka of Golconda High School fame play lead roles in the film.
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.
