Hindi
Shraddha Kapoor to star opposite Akshay in Gabbar
The Aashiqui 2 fame Shraddha Kapoor is indeed going places. After witnessing a massive turnaround in her career post the film, she has now been signed opposite Akshay Kumar for Gabbar. The development is close on the heels of her giving a nod of approval to Shahid Kapoor’s Haider.
Producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali was quite positive about Shraddha making the cut since he felt the pretty girl carried just the right kind of innocence that the character demanded.
This will be Shraddha first movie in the big league opposite a superstar like Akshay. Incidentally each of her next three films, The Villain, Haider and now Gabbar, has the leading man in the title, playing the central protagonist.
Not too long ago a certain Sonakshi Sinha also started on the similar lines with Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore and Son of Sardaar; so Shraddha seems to be having a gameplan.
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.
