Hindi
Suraj Sharma nominated for BAFTA’s Rising Star award
MUMBAI: Suraj Sharma‘s brilliant performance of Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi Patel) in his debut film Life of Pi has got him recognition as an actor and has been nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star award this year.
Suraj joins the likes of British actresses Juno Temple, Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth Olsen and Alicia Vikander who are also in the running for the award recognising new talent in the film industry.
The 19-year old Suraj is the only male nominee on the shortlist, selected by a judging panel that included Sherlock Holmes actor Benedict Cumberbatch and director Kevin Macdonald.
Suraj had no prior acting experience whatsoever, and auditioned only because he was there with his younger brother who had asked him to come along. He was one of the 3,000 actors to audition for the role of Pi Patel.
Since filming Life of Pi, Sharma has returned to studying philosophy at St. Stephen‘s college Delhi University, and intends to continue working in film making in some capacity.
The award is voted for by the public and the winner will be announced on 10 February.
Earlier winners of BAFTA awards include James McAvoy, Tom Hardy, Eva Green, Shia LaBeouf and Kristen Stewart.
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.
