Hindi
Second Kolkata Short International Filmfest to screen 74 films
NEW DELHI: 74 films from 14 countries are expected to be screened at the Second Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival on 24 August.
The KSFF-13 is an amalgamation of unleashed cinematic creativity and madness of cine-goers of Kolkata and its objective is to give momentum to the short cinema and foster the growth of a new breed of filmmakers. The festival will be held in different screening rooms at Hotel Tulip INN at Park Street.
The festival received a total of 570 movies through online submission. On the basis of the synopsis of movies, a total of 216 films were invited of which 173 were received, and a majority of the 74 will be screened according to festival director Rambhul Singh who is also an award winning filmmaker.
The main attractions of the festival are shorts films like Scenes from Suburbia which is a collage of three heartfelt stories directed by Sowrik Dutta, Jo Jo Lalli directed by Sandeep Malani which is a romantic drama based on AIDS awareness, the documentary Bhopal Shed-Unsaid directed by Syed Samar Mehdi telling the story of the after effects of the Bhopal carbide gas plant tragedy, the Bengali short films Bheja Chitti directed by Rishin Banerjee, Ekti Choto Chobi directed by Indrani Chakrabarti and Self directed by Avishek Dutta.
International short films Lao directed by Gabriele Sabatino Nardis from Italy tells the story after a disaster, Efeito Casimiro directed by Clarice Saliby from Brazil tells the story of an alien’s appearance, and Traumfrau directed by Oliver Schwarz from Switzerland deals with relationship and loneliness.
Renowned Music director Bappi Lahiri’s directorial debut short film World Love Peace Harmony will have its premiere at the festival.
The festival jury includes two Bengali films directors Raja Sen and Pinaki Choudhuri who are both national award winning directors and known for their quality films in Bengali cinema. The jury includes Dr. D C Singh, a film scholar and researcher.
In addition to film screenings, a master class on ‘promotion, marketing, distribution and revenue generations through short films’ also be conducted. Beside that, the festival offers professional networking opportunities with special short films packages. KSIFF is also observing ‘100 years of Indian Cinema’ with this festival.
KSIFF-13 is conducted by Miniboxoffice, a Noida based short films marketing, promotion and film festival organizing company. It has established short film festivals in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Bhopal and the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and Indian Cine Film Festival in Noida.
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.
