Hindi
Shahid and Shraddha signed for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider
Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor and Tabu have been roped in for Vishal Bhardwaj’s ambitious next in line Shakespeare trilogy Haider, an Indian adaptation of Hamlet.
While Tabu has already been a part of this trilogy as Lady Macbeth in Vishal’s Maqbool in 2003, Shahid will be pairing up with the director after the 2009 film Kaminey.
The Kapoor boy will be essaying the lead role of Hamlet while Shraddha and Tabu’s role are still being kept under wraps.
Hamlet is the story of a son of a former king who takes revenge from his uncle and the then King Claudius for snatching away the throne by murdering his father.
The Indian version of this Shakespeare tragedy will be shot in the beautiful locales around Kashmir and is slated to go on floors by the end of 2013.
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.
