Hindi
Gupta gets NOC to use real-life names in the film
MUMBAI: The Mumbai police has granted permission to director Sanjay Gupta to name the characters in his film Shootout At Wadala after the real-life policemen involved in the 1982 incident in Mumbai.
Gupta said, “After we‘ve got a no objection certificate (NOC) from the police department, we‘re free to name any of the cops who were part of the incident.
“We‘re now in the process of covering all legal hurdles as far as naming every character from the underworld is concerned.”
In this regard, Gupta had sought the services of Mumbai lawyer Ameet Nayak to be amply sure that all loopholes are plugged so that he can call a spade a spade or a Dawood a Dawood.
Shootout At Wadala, a prequel the 2007 film Shootout At Lokhandwala, recreates the gunfight in which gangster Manya Surve was shot dead.
Gupta‘s film will begin with a claimer: “Everything you‘re about to watch happened on the streets of Mumbai.”
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.
