Hindi
Indian Film Exporters Association renamed to include all content owners
Mumbai: Indian Film Exporters Association has been renamed as Entertainment Content Owners Association of India (ECOA) to adapt with the changing times. The association has also unveiled its new contemporary logo to reflect its refreshed identity.
“ECOA is symbolic of the changing times & acknowledges the meteoric growth of TV, OTT & digital – hence the body also wanted to bring them in their purview & expand their membership to these platforms too,” said the association in a statement on Thursday.
In its new avatar, ECOA will extend its membership to all the entertainment content owners of all languages, genres & formats across all audio-visual platforms, and will not be restricted to films, announced ECOA president Sushilkumar Agrawal.
“We are extremely happy to rechristen & relaunch ourselves and outspread our services to more platforms. The landscape of entertainment has changed drastically in the current times both in terms of production & exhibition, hence bringing its own set of challenges along with it,” said Agrawal. “We at ECOA invite all to be a part of our illustrious family & trust us with our history & expertise in safeguarding the content.”
Other than Sushilkumar Agrawal, the other committee members of ECOA are Hiren Gada (vice president), Ashok Jain (secretary), and RK Duggal (treasurer) among others.
Indian Film Exporters Association was formed in 1963 by Lim Billimoria & few other Indian film exporters to promote & facilitate the commerce of Indian films abroad. ECOA is also a prominent member of various important associations and apex bodies like FICCI & FFI.
The ECOA said it will create B2B opportunities on its website & platforms for content owners to promote & monetise their content globally. It will also participate in important film markets & festivals globally & represent the objectives of the association and the interest of the Indian entertainment content owners.
The association is planning to soon approach the information & broadcasting ministry for appointing itself as an enlisted association for content registration & other related activities.
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.
