Hindi
Dharamshala Filmfest’s initiative for Himalayan film makers
NEW DELHI: The third Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) has launched the DIFF Film Fellows initiative for Himalayan filmmakers to encourage young filmmakers.
The festival to be held from 30 October to 2 November, will take applicants who are 25 years of age or younger and the applications have to be sent in by 31 August.
Though the films can be of any genre, the programme is targeted specifically at filmmakers from the Indian Himalayan regions including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and the hill regions of West Bengal and Assam.
Five filmmakers will be selected to attend DIFF 2014 and participate in its various events, including screenings of the best of contemporary independent cinema. Master classes and workshops will be held by visiting filmmakers and industry professionals.
The selected participants will be able to engage in special one-on-one mentorship sessions with these visiting filmmakers.
The programme covers train fares, food and lodging for the selected participants for the duration of the festival.
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.
