Hindi
Gurvindrer Singh’s film bags Golden Peacock at IFFI
MUMBAI: Debutante director Gurvinder Singh, whose film Anhey Ghorey Da Daan (Alms for the Blind Horse) has won praises and prizes in film festivals all around the world, is on cloud nine with his film bagging the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the International Film festival of India (IFFI) that concluded in Goa yesterday.
First to congratulate Singh was Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari. In his message, Tewari said: "Your success will spur the growth of Punjabi cinema and will encourage young directors to direct films that reflect concerns of society at large. Your achievement is an important milestone for the growth of regional cinema in the country."
Produced by the National Film Development Corporation and based on Punjabi novelist Gurdial Singh‘s novel, the film attempts to translate to screen the effect years of subordination can bring to struggling masses in the face of events spinning beyond their control.
Incidentally, Anhey Ghorey Da Daan has already won three National awards.
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.
