Hindi
MLA – An Inside Intruder to screen at NYIFF on 24 May
MUMBAI: Political thriller MLA – An Inside Intruder is being readied to be screened at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) on 24 May.
Commented director Shiv Dube, "We are very happy to get the screening at such a prestigious International festival. Film is made with lots of sensitivity at real time locations."
Produced under the banner of Gajali Film Production, the film is placed in a village called Bhaglipur in Madhya Pradesh, where one industrialist from the village gains immense popularity in trying to generate employment for the locals by starting a Milk factory. To take advantage of the industrialist’s goodwill, the sitting MLA of the district befriends him. What emerges is the political betrayal towards the common man.
Introducing Chaitanya Naidu as businessman and Ana Kanandadze as Ana, other star cast of the film includes Mukesh Tiwari, Onkar Das Manikpuri, Pankaj Tripathi, Deep Raj Rana, Puneet, Krishna Srivastava and Sania Bajaj.
The film releases across India on 24 May.
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.
