Hindi
Blood Money fails to keep cash counters ringing at the box office
MUMBAI: Blood Money proves a lot of sweat about nothing as the film finds poor patronage. In its first weekend, the film collected a meagre Rs 55 million, making it a disappointing fare.
Bumboo, the other Friday release, also put up a poor performance at the box office.
Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod has been rejected outright by the audience as an unpalatable spy thriller. Having opened to below average response, it dropped further after the first weekend to finish with Rs 366 million.
Kahaani remained a one horse race, maintaining steady collections at select multiplexes. The film has collected Rs 88 million in its third week, taking its total to Rs 524 million.
Chaar Din Ki Chandni added a symbolic Rs 0.6 million in the third-week taking its total to Rs 62.6 million.
Paan Singh Tomar collected Rs 10 million in its third week and has netted Rs 160.5 million so far.
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.
