Hindi
Life of Pi to premier in India at IFFI 2012
New Delhi: The Central and Goa Governments have allocated a budget of Rs 90 million for the 43rd International Film Festival of India which will be inaugurated by versatile actor Akshay Kumar.
The festival being held from 20 to 30 November will have the Indian premiere of Academy Award Winning Director Ang Lee‘s much awaited film ‘Life of Pi‘. The film‘s worldwide theatrical release is slated for November 23.
Eminent Polish film maker Krzysztof Zanussi, will be conferred the Life Time Achievement Award at the Festival, which this year will have a special Centenary Award which will be decided by an independent jury.
The inauguration will feature a medley choreographed by Maestro Saroj Khan and songs sung by Kailash Kher. Kher said he will be performing only on the Hindi film songs, keeping in view the celebration of 100 years of cinema.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has said the Centre will work towards making the forthcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa a self sustainable event.
Speaking over the weekend in Panaji, he said the Ministry will work towards this goal after the conclusion of IFFI 2012. The premier Festival is currently being financed by the Union and Goa government.
“I agree with the spirit (that festival should be self sustainable). There is road to travel. Once we are through with this festival, we will see how possibly can make this happen,” the Minister said.
Since the time IFFI moved to Goa as a permanent venue in 2004, efforts have been made to ensure that it is made self sustainable.
The Taiwanese born American Director Ang Lee and the cast and crew of the film that includes Tabu, Irrfan Khan and the main lead and debutante Suraj Sharma will be present.
The ‘Life of Pi‘ which is based on an adapted screenplay of a novel by the same name by Yann Martel, is a 3D adventure film telling the story of a 16 year old Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) of Pondicherry (Puducheri), who survives a shipwreck along with animals like an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and a Royal Bengal Tiger. The film explores the issues of spirituality, religion and life as a whole.
Ang Lee is the man behind some of the most prestigious and acclaimed films such as Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Hulk (2003) and Brokeback Mountain (2005). His latest film, Life of Pi, besides providing a global platform for Indian artistes, also explores some of the scenic spots in India, including the countryside of Munnar and the French elegance of Pondicherry. During his interaction with the media, Ang Lee admitted that experiments like his are helping change the stereotype perceptions about Indians and the Asians in mainstream Hollywood.
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.
