Hindi
Film on Shahid Afridi in offing
MUMBAI: Making films based on the life of cricketers is fast gaining ground in India. While Vidhu Vinod Chopra‘s Ferrari Ki Sawaari is said to be based on Sachin Tendulkar, two noted film producers of Pakistan are in the process of making a film on the country’s flamboyant cricketer Shahid Afridi titled Main Hun Shahid Afridi.
Main Hun Shahid Afridi, to be made by Humayun Saeed and Shahzad Nasib entails the struggles and achievements of a simple boy who made it big in cricket through sheer determination and hard work.
Directed by Osman Ali Raza, the film will also star Saeed himself.
The film has been shot at popular stadiums in Karachi and Sialkot with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) being actively supportive. More than 50 per cent of the film has been completed, according to the producers.
The film’s lead role is being played by a 19-year-old Noman Habib, who himself is an aspiring cricketer. Afridi, however, would not be making an appearance in the film.
Earlier, UK-based filmmaker Faisal Aman Khan made a film on the life of cricketer turned politician Imran Khan.
Afridi, 32, has played 27 Tests, 334 one day internationals and 46 twenty20 internationals for the Pakistani team.
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.
