Hindi
Rajshri breaks distribution practice for Jaana Pehchana release
MUMBAI: Breaking away from the current practice of releasing a film with more that 1,500 prints, Rajshri Productions has decided to release its upcoming film Jaana Pehchana with a single print in Mumbai on 16 September. It will have 29 prints distributed in other parts of the country.
Moreover, the production house is planning to release the print in the good old reel format instead of the present-day digital style. “It makes better sense to release a film this way. We believe its content is good and if we get positive feedback from the audience, we will increase the number of prints,” Rajshri‘s head of distribution and marketing P S Ramanathan said in a statement.
It may be recollected that Rajshri‘s Hum Aapke Hain Kaun had a similar distribution plan: It released in Mumbai with one print and had 29 prints sent across the other parts of the country.
“The rationale behind the limited release of that film was that most cinema halls at that time didn‘t have the stererophonic sound systems that we needed for the film. Salman Khan‘s Maine Pyaar Kiya was also released with just 18 prints in 1989 and we ended up releasing the film in more than 1,800 screens,‘” Ramanathan added.
Jaana Pehchana is a sequel to the Sachin-Ranjeeta-starrer Ankhiyon Ke Jharoke Se that released way back in 1978. The film starts off where Ankhiyon Ke Jharoke Se ended, with Ranjeeta‘s character‘s death due to cancer. The second installment has been directed by Sachin himself and tells the story of middle-aged Arun Mathur, who is still grieving for his high-school love.
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.
