Hindi
Nitin Desai turns director with Ajintha-an untold story
MUMBAI: Following the footsteps of art director Samir Chanda, noted art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai has turned to direction with his ambitious Marathi-English film, Ajintha-an untold story.
A period film of the 18th century, Ajintha-an untold story revolves around exploring the truth of discovering the Ajanta Caves and the love story of a British officer Major Robert Gill who falls in love with an Adivasi girl, Paro. It reveals the truth of who really explored Ajanta caves and its striking paintings.
The strong research and real study is revealed through the film which say that Paro from Lenapur, the village closest to the Ajanta caves, played an important role for the British officer to find the essence of the caves that later became world renowned for exotic paintings, impressive architecture and long-forgotten history.
Talking about the inspiration behind his will to make the film, Desai averred, “Unfolding the pages of history has always been a passion to me like I made a mega serial on Shivaji Maharaj named Raja Shiv Chhatrapati, a tele-serial on Bajirao Mastani and one of the most critically-acclaimed blockbuster films, Bal Gandharva. It has always been my dream to make a film on Ajanta Caves since I saw the caves when I was in class 8. For the last several years, I researched a lot on the subject with noted Marathi poet and historian ND Mahanot.”
Why a period film and what was the purpose behind the making? “Through the film, I want our beautiful Indian heritage and the real story behind it to reach out to not only youngsters in our country but also those from abroad. The seed of the story was germinating in my mind for several years but now with the strong support of my team, I can see it turning into a huge fruitful tree,” observed Desai.
“On the whole, Ajintha will give the glimpses of the true epic story of a girl who became a major source of inspiration of Gill, sufferer of the misery and their untold love story,” he added.
The cast of the film comprises Philip Scot Wallace, last seen in the latest edition of Sherlock Holmes, Sonalee Kulkarni, Makrand Deshpande, Manoj Kolhatkar, Jian Bostoch and Manoj Joshi.
Produced under the banner of Iconic Chandrakant Productions, the film has been invited to participate in this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Since Wallace is a Britisher himself, Desai will premiere his film in London in May. It is scheduled to release in India in June.
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.
