Hindi
NRI made Hindi film wins award in Filmfest in Texas
NEW DELHI: Once Again (Phir Vehi), a Hindi film by award winning non-resident Indianfilmmaker Sanjay Arora, has won the third prize at the 6th Boomtown Film and Music Festival 2013 in Texas.
Filmed in Delhi, this 50-minute family drama is inspired by the teachings of Buddha. It revolves around Raj Malhotra, a self-centered company executive, who uses situations and people around him to his advantage but life takes an unexpected turn forcing him to accept reality that paves way to a journey of transformation.
The film, which was first screened at the Delhi International Film Festival last year, has also been nominated for the Best South East Asian Film and Best Director at the World Music and Independent Film Festival 2013 to take place in August in Washington D.C. It had also been nominated for the Best Screenplay at the Hot Media International Film Festival 2012.
Arora told indiantelevision.com that the film ‘reflects universal feelings that may leave us evaluating our own lives. It takes this journey to depict the reality and the process of transformation that will impact many lives positively‘.
Delhi born Arora left a successful career as a software engineer in the US to follow his dream of becoming a filmmaker. He joined New York Film Academy. His filmography includes the award winning films Butterfly Wings, Expression and Chase.
Butterfly Wings was screened in the US, Canada, and the Philippines including an invitational special screening held at the UN in Delhi and also won the Best Film award at the Global Film Festival 2011. It was screened at the WeCare Film Festival on Disability Issues in Delhi.
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.
