Hindi
Life-size wax statue of Phalke to be installed at Wax Museum, Lonavala
MUMBAI: What better way to pay a tribute to founding father of Indian films Dadasaheb Phalke by erecting a full-size wax statue of the grand old man in the centenary year of the Indian film industry that falls on 3 May this year.
The wax statue will be created and installed at the Celebrity Wax Museum (CWM) in Lonavala according to a memorandum of understanding between the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy and CWM managing director Sunil Kandalloor.
The announcement was made when film folks gathered recently on the occasion of the 68th death anniversary of Phalke at the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) here.
Present to pay homage were filmmakers Anil Sharma, Gautam Bhatiya, Gopal Ram, Romy Behl, veteran actor Chandrashekhar, singer Udit Narayan and trustees Ramgopal Gupta, Neena Jalan and Prabhat Pandey.
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.
