Hindi
PVR set to release The Forest on 4 May
MUMBAI: PVR Cinemas is set to release director Ashwin Kumar‘s The Forest under its ‘Directors Rare‘ initiative on 4 May.
The film will have a limited release in the major metros on about 19 screens to be expanded later on public demand.
The Forest is loosely based on the ‘Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, one of the stories of Jim Corbett. The film has Nandana Sen caught between her husband and an ex-lover amidst a treacherous jungle terrain stalked by an angry man-eating leopard.
However, the leopard is not the only problem the trio has. It is the beast that hides behind civilised façades that poses greater danger.
Produced by Ashvin Kumar and Judith James and presented by Vijay Mallya, the film has been shot on actual locations in the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal with a foreign crew.
The horror-sex drama also stars Jaaved Jafferi, Nandana Sen and Ankur Vikal.
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.
