Hindi
Farhan Akhtar-Abhishek Kapoor back together for Rock On! sequel
The fall-out between Farhan Akhtar and director Abhishek Kapoor seems to be over finally as the duo is ready to rock the big screen once again. They have reportedly reunited for the sequel to their 2008 musical film Rock On!
The script has been finalised by Abhishek and it will be produced by Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment. Reports reveal that Farhan has also been persuaded to take up the microphone for the second time. The friendship between Farhan and Abhishek turned sour after their fall-out over the latter’s Kai Po Che! project.
According to sources, Farhan was the initial choice for Ishaan’s role which was later played by Sushant Singh Rajput. Farhan also gave a miss to the star-studded premiere of the film. To amend the differences Farhan later congratulated the Kai Po Che! team via Twitter and also made a special appearance at the success party of the film.
Presently Abhishek is busy working on Katrina Kaif-Sushant starrer Fitoor which will go on floors in 2014.
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.
