Hindi
‘Madras Café’ is a spy thriller that pays unique tribute to the armed forces
NEW DELHI: Madras Café, a film named after a South Indian destination soon after Chennai Express, is to be released on 23 August.
The film has been produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Films, and directed by the award-winning Shoojit Sircar.
The trailer of the political espionage thriller was launched in the presence of the director, the film‘s lead John Abraham and co-star Nargis Fakhri amidst a complete army set-up with ammunition, maps, sandbags and the works.
Talking about the film, director Sircar said: “Madras Cafe is an intense political spy thriller. Since it is the first time I am tackling the subject, over three years of research went into it -It has been my most challenging film this far. Though the film is fictional, it has several references from real episodes.
Producer and actor John Abraham said, “Madras Café has been my dream project and we‘ve been in discussions for years over the subject – We‘ve worked extremely hard on the film and are satisfied with the outcome – What I can assure you is audiences will be talking about the film even after they‘ve stepped out of the theatre… it is a high-on-content, thought provoking film”
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.
