Hindi
Sixth Jagran Film Festival to open with ‘Masaan’
MUMBAI: With India’s high profile entry in Cannes Film Festival Masaan directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and starring Sanjay Mishra, Richa Chaddha and Shweta Tiwary, the sixth edition of Jagran Film Festival is ready to take off starting 1 July.
Winner of two prestigious awards the FIPRESCI, International Jury of Film Critics prize and Promising Future prize in the Un Certain Regard section, Masaan has received wide critical acclaim globally.
While Variety’s Jay Weissberg writes, “A ‘Promising Future’ prize in Cannes should help this narratively challenged drama of two families trapped in the strictures of India’s rigid caste system.”
Hollywood Reporter’s Deborsh Young describes it as “India’s modern and traditional sides face off in two interlocking love stories.”
A collaborative effort of Phantom Films, Drishyam, Macassar Productions, Pathe, Sikhya Entertainment and Arte Cinema, France, Masaan will be presented on 1 July, 2015 evening by Ghaywan and the star cast of the film to the festival delegates personally.
Cannes Film Festival’s strategic consultant Manoj Srivastava said, “It’s a matter of pride to open the festival with such a prestigious and worthy film. Masaan is just the beginning; the festival has a lot in store for film delegates this year which would be revealed over the next few days.”
The Film Festival begins in New Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditoria and will present a wide ranging Indian and foreign cinema with specially curated sections on thematic lines. Masaan an official entry in the Festival will compete for the Indian Showcase Awards.
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.
