Hindi
Open Frame to focus on documentary and film appreciation workshops
NEW DELHI: Open Frame, the annual festival of short films and documentaries, will conduct several workshops this year instead of showcasing films.
Organised by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), the festival will be held at the India International Centre in Delhi from 26 August 26 to 2 September.
The first workshop is on ‘Documentary: History and Art’ by former National Film Archives of India director professor Suresh Chhabria. The Workshop will examine some basic principles of documentary filmmaking. Among its various functions have been those of exploration, advocacy, promotion, self-reflexivity and political activism.
The workshops also include ‘Documentary Film Appreciation’ by Ajit Duara on 27 August. The idea of this workshop is to demonstrate that the development of an interesting film narrative is the variable that distinguishes a stylistically evolved director. Duara has been a film critic for a number of publications over the years and presently reviews for Open Magazine.
PSBT is a non-governmental, not-for-profit trust with the mission to create and sustain a credible space for public service broadcasting in India which is independent, participatory, pluralistic and democratic, distanced from commercial imperatives and state/ political pressures. It’s objective is to mainstream the Indian documentary segment and empower independent filmmakers by commissioning and mentoring films from across the country.
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.
