Hindi
Balaji Motion Pictures ropes in Sujoy Ghosh
Balaji Motion Pictures has acquired the Hindi film adaptation rights to the book, The Devotion of Suspect X to be made into a major motion picture.
The Devotion of Suspect X, a novel by Keigo Higashino, is the third in his cult Detective Galileo series and his most acclaimed work so far. The novel won the 6th Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the mystery novels category in Japan.
The English translation of the novel was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Novel and the 2012 Barry Award for Best First Novel. More than a jaw-dropping two million copies of the best-selling book have been sold worldwide so far.
Acclaimed director Sujoy Ghosh, whose previous release was the blockbuster Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani, has been signed to direct the feature.
The writing is underway and the cast is still to be finalised. The principal photography is expected to commence in early-2014.
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.
