Hindi
Life Of Pi to release in over 300 3D screens in India
MUMBAI: Ang Lee‘s Life Of Pi will have a wide a release as any other Hollywood film in India encompassing more than 300 3D screens across the country.
According to Fox Star Studios CEO Vijay Singh, the film will also be dubbed in various Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Though he did not specify the total number of screens and locations, it is indicated that the film might be released in more than 800 screens making it the widest ever release of a Hollywood film with a debutant Indian actor in the lead.
Life Of Pi is based on an adapted screenplay of a best-selling novel by Yann Martel of the same name, is being promoted as an adventure film and a 3D visual extravaganza that tells the story of a 16-year-old Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) of Pondicherry who survives a shipwreck along with animals like an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and a Royal Bengal Tiger.
The film metaphorically explores the issues of spirituality, religion and life and has been hailed as one of the most important films of the year by well-known international critics. It is expected to be in the race for the Oscars in 2013.
The film, the worldwide theatrical release of which is slated for 23 November, stars Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Suraj Sharma, Adil Hussain and Gerard Depardieu.
It had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival some time back and is also the opening film at the International Film Festival of India, Goa (IFFI, Goa) this year where Ang Lee presented a curtain raiser of his film to the media and a select gathering of Bollywood celebrities.
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.
