Hindi
No big show at BO at yearend
MUMBAI: The week’s sole release, animation film Mahabharat, with many big stars lending voices to characters modelled on them, fails to attract the kids at whom it was primarily aimed.
Their trust belied by most big releases, the exhibitors finally got a happy ending to 2013 with Dhoom3. Especially single screens that were arm twisted into paying huge MGs, which not even mass appeal films could recoup, are happy with this one, the fastest money spinner in Hindi film history with no fudging of figures by either the stars concerned or the production house. This one is headed to becoming the real, rare 200+ crore film at the domestic box office before it ends its second weekend. The film, which just about crossed 100 crore, in its opening weekend, maintained a strong hold on the box office to take the count to 180 crore for its Hindi version alone while totting up 189 crore with Tamil and Telugu dubbed version.
 |
The Dhoom3 mania seems to have washed out the other runners as their collections have dropped to symbolic. R…. Rajkumar has dropped down to 55 lakh in its third week taking its three week total to 59.05 crore.
Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela has collected 20 lakh in its sixth week taking its six week tally to 105.45 crore.
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.
