Hindi
Pakistani actress Meesha makes her Bollywood debut
MUMBAI: Pakistani model, singer and actress Meesha Shafi, who made her movie debut in Mira Nair‘s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, will now be seen in her first Bollywood venture.
The actress is playing a character named Perizaad, best friend to Farhan Akhtar‘s Milkha Singh in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra‘s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Excited about her upcoming movie, Meesha says, “Our cultural heritage and stories are so deeply rooted that it is only natural to relate to the cinema being made here. Art is definitely a universal language and just as Bollywood has a huge audience in Pakistan, Pakistani music has a vast listenership in India.”
Further, she adds, “Both countries are doing an immense service by bridging gaps and reaching out to the people. In fact I would say that Bollywood and Pakistan have an age-old relationship.”
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and ROMP Pictures releases on 12 July.
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.
