Hindi
Kaushik Ghatak to direct Samrat And Co for Rajshri Productions
MUMBAI: Rajshri Productions‘ Kavita Barjatya is all set to produce Hindi cinema‘s first detective saga filled with suspense and adventure. Titled Samrat And Co, the movie will be directed by Kaushik Ghatak.
What‘s more, the movie may also see Rajshri Productions branching off a new wing under which the movie will be produced. Rajshri is looking at making Samrat And Co a dedicated detective franchisee in Bollywood.
Specially targeting India‘s young audiences, Barjatya has embarked on bringing to Bollywood, the first of its kind detective franchisee, wherein the very nuances of crime solving, human nature and the world of standalone private investigators will be presented on the big screen.
Barjatya said, "Today is a wonderful time for cinema… People are ready to accept different stories, different genres, different characters and a different treatment. Today we can tell the story which we wish too and not be caught up in boundaries of formulas… We have also seen that the uniqueness of the concept is the driving force in today‘s films. When Kaushikji narrated me a couple of subjects, this one really excited me. I have known and worked with Kaushik ji since 2004. He has directed most of my TV shows and they were all landmarks. Hope to create the magic on big screen now. It‘s going to be a challenge to cater to the typical Rajshri‘s family audiences as well as today‘s youth".
Ghatak added, "Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Feluda, Byomkesh Bokshi, etc were my best friends since childhood, of course through their books… I have grown up with this genre. Their adventures always fascinated me… For a very long time I wanted to create a detective in our very own Bollywood cinema…but in our own style which is apt for our entertainment – loving hindi movie goers. Thanks to Kavitaji, with whom I have shared a long and wonderful working relationship, for understanding this new kind of cinema and making it happen".
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.
