Hindi
SS Music’s pop band S5 clinches movie deal
MUMBAI: SS Music’s newly formed pop band S5 has been signed by popular Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj for his upcoming movie By the People.
The band will sing all the songs in the movie. The music will be composed by Praveen Mani. The music recording will begin on 14 April.
SS Music president B D Ramesh Babu said the band would be taking up more such assignments in the coming months. The company’s in-house event management company looks after S5’s affairs.
S5 recently launched its maiden pop album Isai. The album has lyrics by Venkatesh and music by Praveen Mani.The pop band was chosen by the channel after several auditions held across South India. Swetha, Anaitha, Arjun, Benny and Bhargavi constitute S5.
By the People is Jayaraj’s sequel to his 2004 blockbuster For the People. The movie, planned at a budget of Rs 6 million, is expected in July 2005.
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.
