Hindi
Milkha Singh biopic to be filmed in Melbourne
MUMBAI: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Run Milkha Run), the latest film by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, will shoot key scenes in Melbourne, according to the Premier of Victoria and minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu.
The film will tell the story of the legendary Indian runner Milkha Singh, known as the ‘Flying Sikh‘, who won 77 of the international races out of the 80 that he entered in. Singh first represented India at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics that introduced him to the world stage and launched his international running career.
“India is one of the busiest film production destinations in the world, and its burgeoning film industry offers vast opportunities for Victorian co-production projects, building on our strengths in the creative arts,” Baillieu observed. “Victoria is gaining recognition as a leading film production destination with world-class studio facilities at our disposal, such as the Docklands Film and Television Studios.”
Baillieu said that the length of the shoot in Melbourne was anticipated to be between two and three weeks, which will generate more than $1 million in local economic activity.
Produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Productions (ROMP) and Viacom18 India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag will be directed by Mehra. It features Farhaan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor. Tourism Victoria will leverage the release of the movie through a marketing campaign in India featuring the key locations from the film.
Other Indian films shot in Melbourne were Salaam Namaste and Chak de! India.
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.
