Hindi
Box office: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ crosses Rs 100 crore in opening weekend
MUMBAI: A Salman Khan film and the festival of Eid make a sort of grand combination at the box office. And Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the latest Khan starrer, continues the tradition.
However, what is different this time is that this is no usual superhuman action film, which are dished out by Khan’s filmmakers for some years now.
The film has just two brief action scenes, tackles a risky subject releasing it at a time when the film could have easily disappointed his fans who usually love to watch him go berserk with his muscles and fists.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan counts on emotional appeal, balances two faiths tactfully and emotions of two countries, India and Pakistan.
The film, despite its release a day before Eid, matched the collections of other Khan hits to record opening day figures of Rs 27.2 crore and, as expected, took a big leap on Saturday (Eid day) and Sunday Rs 38.5 to end its opening weekend with a whopping Rs 102.2 crore.
Baahubali: The Beginning (Hindi-Dubbed) maintained very well through its first weekend. After an opening weekend of Rs 20.15 crore, it more than matched up to its weekend figures with first week collections of Rs 41.55 crore. The film had fewer screens in its second week due to the extensive release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
I Love NY opened to poor collections and stayed that way through its first week run.
Guddu Rangeela added a meagre Rs 65 lakh in second week to take its two week total to Rs 8.4 crore.
Second Hand Husband collected Rs 35 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 2.95 crore.
ABCD 2 added another Rs 1.70 crore in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 104.95 crore.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns is still holding fort at the box office. The movie collected Rs 40 lakh in its eighth week taking its eight week total to Rs 142.95 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.
