Hindi
Sudhir Mishra, Philippa Campbell, and Chris Paton to mentor NFDC Film Bazaar 2012 W-I-P lab
MUMBAI: South Asia’s Global Film Market Film Bazaar the promotional arm of National Film Development Corporation (NFDChas announced five projects selected for the Work-In-Progress (W-I-P) Lab, which will be presented to a jury of international experts at the sixth edition of the market to be held from 21- 24November in Goa. The Work-In-Progress Lab has been set with an intention to help budding filmmakers achieve and accomplish the final cut through expert insights. The Lab is open for feature length films and documentaries in their rough-cut stage.
Israel Film Fund head Derek Malcolm, Katriel Schory and Chris Paton from Fortissimo Films were the mentors for WIP Lab in 2011 and this year Indian film director and screenwriter Sudhir Mishra, actress turned script writer Philippa Campbell, and Chris Paton of Fortissimo Films, are the for the projects selected this year.
The projects selected for the Work-In-Progress Lab 2012 are – Bhacraa (The Divine Goat; directed by Janaki Vishwanathan), Crossing Bridges (directed by Sange Dorjee Thongdok), Love (directed by Abhineet Gogne), Phoring (directed by Indranil Roychowdhury) and Tumbad (directed by Rahi Anil Barve).
Some of the films from the 2011 WIP Lab that have gone on to be screened at international film festivals are Ashim Ahluwalia‘s – Miss Lovely (Cannes Film Festival 2012), Manjeet Singh‘s – Mumbai Cha Raja (Toronto International Film Festival 2012), Anand Gandhi‘s – Ship of Theseus (Toronto International Film Festival 2012) and Ajay Bahl‘s – BA Pass (12th Osian‘s Cinefan Film Festival).
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.
