Hindi
Disney UTV to produce Tamil film Theeyaa Vela Seiyyanum Kumaru
MUMBAI: Disney UTV Studio has said that its next Tamil film would be titled Theeyaa Vela Seiyyanum Kumaru (Kumar! You‘ve Gotta Work Really Hard, Yaar!).
Written and directed by Sundar C who had earlier directed the studio‘s superhit Kalakalappu, the film stars popular south stars Siddharth, Santhanam, Hansika, Ganesh Venkatraman and many others. The shooting for the film is currently in progress and it is scheduled to release in June 2013.
Commented Disney UTV, Chief – South Business, Studios G. Dhananjayan, “Our association with Sundar C has been hugely successful with Kalakalappu in 2012 and we are glad to continue this with Vela Seiyyanum Kumaru this year.
Comedy films have found a wide audience in South with many recent successes and we are hopeful to create another good film in this genre. We are working towards an eclectic slate for this year and this project is yet another step in that direction.”
Sundar C, known as a ‘Genius of Comedy‘ in South Cinema, is presenting Siddharth in an interesting lead role for the first time along with Comedy Super Star‘ Santhanam and one of the top actresses of South Hansika. Ganesh Venkatraman in a pivotal role adds strength to the cast of the film.
The film is to be shot at Kumbakonam, Hyderabad and Chennai.
While Settai will be UTV‘s first film in Tamil this year; it will release in April. It will be followed by Theeyaa Vela Seiyyanum Kumaru that is to open in June. This will be later followed by the Gaurav and Vikram Prabhu starrer Sigaram Thodu in December 2013.
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.
