Hindi
Film Bazaar to have a romance screenwriters’ lab
NEW DELHI: The Film Bazaar that will be held to coincide with the International Film Festival of India will this year feature a romance screenwriters’ lab with six scripts in the romance genre mentored by leading Indian filmmakers and writers.
Another new feature at the Bazaar this year is the film offices for various states of the country for their film promotion and tourism boards, and film commissions for them to introduce their delegates to the visiting delegates, National Film Development Corporation managing director Neena Lath Gupta, which organises the Bazaar told indiantelevision.com.
The Bazaar will be held from 20 to 24 November at the Marriott Resort in Panaji, Goa. The Festival itself is being held from 20 to 30 November.
Other sections include exhibition stalls for showcasing products and meetings with other delegates, screenwriters’ lab which will also have six scripts; and a producers’ lab for producers to learn the facets of production from leading Indian and international producers.
There will be a co-production market for South Asian stories with international appeal that can go for pitching to international market delegates; industry screenings which are aimed at exclusive film screenings at digital theatres for investors, buyers and festival programmes from other festivals in India and overseas; and the viewing room meant for latest film projects that are meant for festival placement and sales or finishing funds.
In addition, the Bazaar for which entries are still open, will have networking events where discussions are held informally over tea or meals, work-in-progress labs for films that in rough-cut stage, NFDC knowledge series lectures by renowned film personalities, and a branding opportunity for those get themselves associated with the Bazaar which gets delegates from all over the globe.
Aspiring film delegates include buyers and exhibitors, those looking for co-production opportunities, heads or representatives of International Film Festivals, film producers, and members of film distribution bodies.
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.
