Hindi
Deepa Mehta to make Masterpiece with Al Pacino
MUMBAI: Amidst the shoot of her film Midnight’s Children, Deepa Mehta has announced her next film titled Masterpiece. She has, however, clarified that she would move on to her venture after she is done with Midnight’s Children.
Masterpiece is about acclaimed French artist Henri Matisse and his relationship with his nurse-model and muse, Monique Bourgeois. Matisse is regarded by aficionados, along with Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, as one of the three artists who helped define revolutionary developments in the art world in the early 20th century.
He hired his muse Monique Bourgeois in 1941 who later became a Dominican nun. The two some came across each other again in Vence, France, where she inspired him to decorate the Chapelle du Rosaire, known as the Matisse chapel.
Though she hasn’t revealed the cast of Masterpiece, Mehta has apparently roped in Hollywood biggie Al Pacino to play the revolutionary painter.
Although no date of commencement has been set, the film is likely to roll early next year.
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.
