Hindi
Dimple Kapadia collects Padma Bhushan award of Rajesh Khanna
MUMBAI: India‘s first superstar Rajesh Khanna was posthumously awarded Padma Bhushan, India‘s third-highest civilian award this morning.
The award was collected on his behalf by his wife Dimple Kapadia.
Khanna died on 18 July last year.
Padma Bhushan award was also posthumously conferred upon comedian Jaspal Bhatti, who expired last October.
Among others who received awards were industrialist Adi Godrej and artist S H Raza received his Padma Vibhushan, India‘s second-highest civilian award.
Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, shooter Vijay Kumar, Sholay director Ramesh Sippy and actor Nana Patekar received the Padma Shri. Meanwhile, Boxer Mary Kom was awarded the Padma Bhushan but was not present at the ceremony to collect it.
The awards were handed out by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The first batch of awards were handed out on 5 April when actresses Sharmila Tagore and Sridevi along with cricketer Rahul Dravid collected their awards.
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.
