Hindi
Cinépolis to host 6th Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai
MUMBAI: Cinépolis India will be hosting the Mumbai chapter of the 6th Jagran Film Festival at its Fun Cinemas property in Andheri from 28 September – 4 October.
Presenting films from across genres, countries, languages and eras, the festival brings forward diverse and extreme cinematic talent on one single platform.
Cinépolis business head – strategy Devang Sampat said, “The Jagran Film Festival has been entertaining and educating the masses by spreading a culture of cinema appreciation. Cinepolis this year participated in the festival in Lucknow, Patna, Ludhiana, Ranchi and going forward we shall be strategising to host more such festivals and ensure Cinepolis loyalist get to watch movies from all over the world. On the other hand, we as exhibitors also become a platform to bring together – filmmakers, distributors, audience through medium of Cinema and connect life, culture, art & emotions that surfaced during the film.”
Both Indian and foreign language films will be screened at the festival in 13 categories. A special non-competitive section called ‘Happiness Spirit’ will see a cluster of 10-15 select films that will weave in ‘happiness of the human spirit’ as a common theme.
The competitive sections include Indian Showcase, Debut Directors, Jagran Shorts, Top Shorts, World Panorama and Cinema of the Sellers category.
The best films in these categories will be decided upon by the jury comprising Hariharan, who leads the panel along with Pooja Bhatt, Mahesh Aney, Udit Narayan and A Sreekar. The awards will be conferred across numerous categories like Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Short Film, Best Debut Director and many more.
“It gives us immense pride to host an event of this stature. An important aspect of the festival is to generate a discussion on the various aspects of cinema and its impact on society. This will be aided by the presence of the cast and crew of a select few films being screened to drive insightful discussions between the artistes & filmmakers and the audience,” Sampat added.
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.
