Hindi
Scholarship for Maldives students wanting to study cinema at AAFT
NEW DELHI: The International Chamber of Media and Entertainment Industry (ICMEI) will give a scholarship to deserving candidates from Maldives to pursue cinema studies and filmmaking at the Asian Academy for Films and Television (AAFT) at Marwah Studio in Noida Film City.
Accepting the offer, Maldives High Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed said, “To start with, Maldives can invite cultural troops from India projecting Indian film music, dance and songs and that can be attraction for people of my country as they love Indian cinema.”
“India can provide strong training in filmmaking to the citizens of Maldives so that Maldives can start their own film production slowly and gradually,” said ICMEI president Sandeep Marwah.
The High Commissioner was also invited by the secretary general Ashok Tyagi to the entertainment programme designed by the students of Asian School of Media Studies at Marwah Studios.
Marwah also honoured the High Commissioner with life membership of International Film and Television Club of AAFT.
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.
