Hindi
Ladakh Intl film fest categorised in 4 sections
MUMBAI: The Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF), which is scheduled to be held from 15-17 June, has been categorised into four sections namely World Cinema, Indian Cinema, Competition and Ladakh.
While the World Cinema category is open only to International Films, the Indian Cinema section is open only to films made in India. While the competition section will include feature films, short films, animation films and documentary films, the Ladakh section will include only those films that are made by the residents of Ladakh or the films made on Ladakh.
Chaired by Shyam Benegal, LIFF Patrons include a mix of senior film professionals and young, enthusiastic cine lovers. Other eminent personalities who are on board as patrons of the LFF include Christian Jeune- Deputy Director General, Festival De Cannes, Derek Malcolm, President of British Federation of Film Societies and The International Film Critics Circle, film critic and historian Jacob Neiindam, director Copenhagen Film Festival.
Eminent filmmakers Govind Nihalani, Shekhar Kapur, Shaji N Karun, Madhur Bhandarkar, Deepti Naval, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, producer-director Ketan Mehta and art director Nitin Desai would represent Bollywood among the patrons. Melwyn Williams Chirayath is the festival director of the festival.
Speaking on the inception of the festival Benegal said, “I am extremely delighted to announce the first edition of the Ladakh International Film Festival. The effort is to create a festival that is totally distinct from other film festivals. Ladakh is a unique and apt venue for LIFF. The aspiration is to make it one of the best and exclusive film festivals on the roof of the world.”
Chirayath added, “Ladakh International Film Festival is like a dream come true as it was always a desire for me to associate my love for cinema and love for the beautiful environs of Ladakh. Through the Ladakh International Film Festival, it will be our mission to give this region its due and at the same time, make it a green initiative by conserving the ecosphere here and introducing carbon offsets.
“The presence of Cannes and Copenhagen Film Festival Directors and eminent Jury and Patrons members is proof to the fact that this Festival holds immense promise and potential to be one of the best and probably the most exotic Film Festivals in the world. It is high time we start thinking towards contributing back”
Multiple screen projections along with sound for better visibility during day time screenings will be installed at the venue. There will be an auditorium screening with 35mm dual projection and 5.1 sound facilities.
Besides this, there will be two open air screenings. Films will be screened in three venues simultaneously and venues will have transportation facilities like buses and bicycles.
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.
