Hindi
BO: ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’ disappoints with Rs 15.8 crore opening weekend
MUMBAI: Vishesh Films and the men behind the banner, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are known to follow this sequence of one hit after a couple of flops. And, on that count as well as for the reason that Mahesh Bhatt had penned the script after a gap of almost a decade and a half, expectations were aplenty.
However, Hamari Adhuri Kahani has come as a big disappointment with the film’s main culprits being the story and the scripting.
What’s more, it is a totally regressive film for no reason and at an unjustifiable cost. For a change, critics as well as the audience seem to be on the same side on this one. The film has managed to collect Rs 15.8 crore for its opening weekend.
Dil Dhadakne Do, a pretentious movie about a Delhi Punjabi family trying to put up a show of affluence despite dire situation, does not go well with the audience in general. The film finds patronage in few metros at select multiplexes. The film has many flaws and takes it audience for granted. It creates a number of tracks of various characters including a parallel love story but fails to sum them up in the end. The film has managed to put together Rs 54.4 crore for its first week thanks to lack of any challenging opposition and increased admission rates (which the distributor planned to continue throughout the week instead of the opening weekend as is the practice with major films but relented after the response to the film, which was weak). The film will scrap the bottom after its second weekend.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns is the flavor of the season and the reason is Kangana Ranaut, the force behind the film with her captivating performance in a dual role. While the comparison to the first version may be unfair, which many feel was much better, this one will be five times bigger hit at the box office as things stand. Finally, the figures speak; opinions may differ. The film has an amazing third week befitting a Salman Khan starrer (or better) adding Rs 20.18 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 138.13 crore for three weeks.
Piku adds Rs 1.05 crore in its week to take its five-week total to Rs 79.77 crore, whereas Gabbar Is Back collects Rs 30 lakh in its fifth week thus taking its five-week total to Rs 80.05 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.
