Hindi
Reliance MediaWorks to manage Annapurna Studios’ facility
MUMBAI: Reliance ADAG’s film and entertainment services company, Reliance MediaWorks, has partnered with Annapurna Studios, the Hyderabad-based film and television studio and production house to manage and operate their studio facility.
Annapurna Studios, founded by Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, is a leading provider of various production facilities, including sound stages, outdoor sets, editing and sound recording theaters to the Telugu entertainment industry. The 80-year-old Telugu film industry, based in Hyderabad, is the second biggest film producer in India.
Spread across 22 acres, the centrally located studio complex owned by Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad has added five new air-conditioned studios to the existing five studio complex and the facility will be a comprehensive resource for feature films, television, commercials, and music videos amongst others.
RMWL will also operate and expand Annapurna Studios’ digital post production facilities that cater to the needs of the motion picture and television commercials industry.
Through this alliance, RMWL and Annapurna aim to combine the expertise of both players in offering cutting edge infrastructure, skill sets and operating strengths to the industry.
Reliance MediaWorks CEO Anil Arjun said, “Annapurna Studios has created an ecosystem par excellence for the Telugu film industry and it is our honour to partner with them. Reliance MediaWorks has put together an experienced team of film and media services executives with a proven track record of accomplishments as operators and successful marketers and we can bring the experience, financial skills and hands-on approach that can make a difference. We are excited about the synergies and opportunities that will be created as we begin to work together and we look forward to strengthening our presence in Southern India.”
Reliance MediaWorks boasts of extensive experience in the studios and digital post production space. The company owns and operates RMW Studios which are Hollywood benchmarked studios and comprise eight sound stages spread across a seven acre area within Filmcity, Mumbai. Having worked on more than 150 films, RMWL’s digital intermediate lab is the leading 4K facility in Mumbai with real time grading capabilities.
Rao said, “This partnership evokes a shared vision for a unified film, media and entertainment industry in India. The shared strengths will enable the studio to leverage expertise and complement each other in providing world- class acilities and services to its customers”.
Annapurna Studios MD Akkineni Nagarjuna said, “I am enthusiastic about this partnership with Reliance MediaWorks. It is futuristic. The collaborative strategic approach between the two studios will drive new growth opportunities and realise the potential to ultimately transform the media and entertainment sector in India.”
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.
