Hindi
Sony Max brings ‘No Talkies Nautanki Returns’ for media agencies
MUMBAI: Sony Max gave Bollywood enthusiasts a reason to rejoice as it kick-started the third season of its flagship event, No Talkies Nataunki Returns.
Organised exclusively for media agencies, this property is an absolute treat for movie buffs as it provides them an opportunity to participate in a national level competition wherein registered teams play ‘Dumb Charades’ on Bollywood films using hand gestures to enact and communicate with each other.
The first round of this three-city event started in Bengaluru on 22 Nov had 13 teams participating from advertising and media agencies. This will be followed by Mumbai and Delhi with an attempt to find the ‘Filmy Deewana’. The closing night of the event will take place in Mumbai.
The pre-activation buzz for the event is currently being held across renowned media agencies including Group M, Madison, OMD, Lodestar, Lintas and MPG, etc.
Bollywood-themed characters are engaging with the office audiences in these agencies to play interactive games and drive registration. The participants can visit the microsite of the event on http://notalkies.sonymax.tv/ to register themselves.
The city rounds of the event commenced in Bengaluru and was followed by Mumbai on 25 November coming to a close with Delhi on 2 December. The finale of the event will be hosted by the RJ Malishka on 9 December in Mumbai wherein the shortlisted winner teams from the three cities will battle it out to win the grand prize worth Rs 25,000 each.
Sony Max Hindi Movie Cluster market communication senior VP Vaishali Sharma said, “The undying passion for Hindi cinema is what Sony MAX is synonymous with, and our flagship property ‘No Talkies Nautanki Returns’ takes this passion a notch higher. This is the third season of our initiative and we are excited as we bring agencies together to feel the magic of movies as we do. With a whopping 150 teams already registering this year with more to come, we aim to build stronger association with the agencies through the success of this initiative. Also Dumb Charades is an all-time fun game and our intent is also to provide them with an enjoyable get-together.”
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.
