Movies
LPU student honoured at Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival
NEW DELHI: Lovely Professional University (LPU) student Ahsif Khan from Bangladesh has been honoured with the ‘Dada Saheb Phalke 2014 Award’ for his ‘brilliantly executed’ short piece of the year ‘The Poster’.
The award was given on the conclusion of the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival in Delhi, aimed at recognising the enlightening, entertaining and progressive new age cinema of youth and experienced filmmakers every year.
The 15-minutes low-budget film ‘The Poster’ won “Special Festival Mention Award” in short film category for students. Ahsif received ‘Certificate of Excellence’ from national award winning producer Savita Raj Hirmath.
Ahsif’s production has been adjudged excellent over other entries from all across India and 45 other countries. The LPU forwarded itself as title sponsor of the film.
‘The Poster’ is a moving depiction of everyday anguish of common man, his endangered dreams, frustration over work and family, and the final march toward social reform. ‘The Poster’ is based on the story of Zahir Raihan-a legendary and revolutionary figure in the annals of Bangladesh, and is directed and produced by Ahsif khan.
The film is in Bengali language with sub-titles in English and has earned success under various shows.
LPU identified Ahsif’s creative power when he was motivated for a documentary, ‘Song of Padma’ in 2013, and it bagged the title of “Best Documentary” at the LPU Film Festival (India).
The documentary was further appreciated at the 6th International Film Festival in Dhaka (Bangladesh). He has also won the first prize at Youth Vibe 2013 (India) for ad making and architectural photography.
LPU chancellor Ashok Mittal said, “We are happy that our talented student put up his passion in a well-knit manner, and got such a prestigious award. We always inspire the students who reveal their zeal to do something innovative, creative and research oriented. We further make such students to reach to global heights for the ultimate benefit of the society. We wish all the best to the creative student to enable himself to get nominated for prestigious Oscar award!”
Ahsif said, “I got admission at LPU on scholarship basis. My financial condition was not good and on getting help from LPU, I came thousands of miles away from my country to join LPU. Here I got the best opportunity to get wings to my passion. In spite of my being a student of medical field, my LPU teachers motivated me to carry on my film-making creation. LPU sponsored my project and result is before all. I have no words to thank my teachers and LPU top administration which has raised my status from a simple without any resource-student to an acclaimed director, writer, and even as an actor.”
The central character of the film, ordinary middle class man Amzad, believes that the government is doing everything for its people until the day he falls in a trap. He learns about the drawback of capitalism as he loses his job. A salaried government employee, Amzad lives his life with resigned acceptance. He is a critic of the likes of Afzal – a firm believer in the revolutionary zeal of the youth. However, it sketches Amzad’s final disillusionment as he is fired for no reason from his job.
The festival celebrates the cinema and work of aspiring, young, independent and professional filmmakers. The festival attracts filmmakers from across India and 45 nations across the world. The festival has sections for feature films, short films, documentaries, animations, music videos and ad films. The festival awards the filmmakers in production, creative and performance categories.
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.
