Hindi
Azhar disappoints, Baaghi and Jungle Book going strong
Azhar, the major release of the week, much touted to be a controversial saga of a great cricketer fallen on bad days, found indifferent response from the viewers. Memories are short, and with nothing positive to remind one of Azhar in the era of Kohli, Raina, Rohit , etc and, there was no inclination to make an aggrieved hero out of an alleged suspect.
The film opened to a mediocre response on Friday, remained stagnant even on Saturday and did little on Sunday to show positive signs. The film had an opening weekend of Rs 20.6 crore. The drop from today onwards is inevitable looking at lack of appreciation.
Dear Dad, a father son story, about a father wanting his on the verge of teens to accept his gay status, has failed to find its audience. Kids can’t see the film, elders would not want to watch it and that left little else. The film faced no audience, no show status at many cinemas.
Buddha In A Traffic Jam released after last minute hassles went generally unnoticed. The theme of the film has no relevance in the scheme of things when it comes to cinema.
Traffic, a film about a celebrity father buying a heart for transplant into his ailing daughter, is not accepted by Hindi audiences despite its success in the original Malayalam and other versions. More than a humane tale, it emerged as the depiction of money, might and clout. The film failed to touch the chord and collected barely Rs 3.2 crore in its first week.
1920 London is the only film from the films released last week which made a mark, though to a limited extent. This horror drama with the credibility of Sharman Joshi riding on it, did decent business at the box office and collected Rs 12.1 crore.
Sunny Leone and her sex appeal are at a stage of negative returns. One Night Stand, despite a suggestive title and Sunny Leone in the lead, failed to arouse curiosity. The film remained poor in its first week managing to garner together a bare Rs 3.15 crore.
Baaghi was excellent in its second week as this mass appeal film went on to collect Rs 11.8 crore in its second week taking its two week total to Rs 71.4 crore.
Jungle Book collected Rs 6.25 crore in its fifth week with its five week being Rs 175.15 crore.
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.
