Hindi
Three Indian films win top honours in the inaugural SAFF
MUMBAI: Among several films from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India, three Indian films have won the top honours in their respective sections at the maiden South Asian Alternative Film Festival (SAFF) in France.
To top it all, Ajay Bahl‘s B.A. Pass, which was named the Best Film in Indian Competition at the 12th Osian‘s Cinefan Film Festival in 2012, won the Audience Award. Balaji Shaktivel‘s Vazhakku Enn 18/9 won the Jury Award while the Student Jury Award went to Gurvinder Singh‘s Anhey Ghore da Daan.
Another Indian film Subbaraj Karthik‘s Pizza was also in competition along with the Bangladeshi film Udhao by Amit Ashraf and a Nepali film Loot by Nischal Basnet.
Onir‘s My Brother Nikhil, AR Murugadoss‘ 7am Arivu – The 7th Sense and Abhinay Deo‘s Delhi Belly were screened under the auspices of special sections at the festival that was held from 16 to 20 January.
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.
