Hindi
Titus Upputuru’s short film shines bright at Indian Cine Film Festival 2022
MUMBAI: “Nip in the bud”, a short film by the media conglomerate, Times Internet, has won big at the Indian Cine Film Festival. Written by famous adman, Titus Upputuru, it has been awarded the Best Screenplay award and the Best Public Service award at the event.
Titus is the man behind the screenplay and has also directed the film. Elaborating on the win, The Titus Upputuru Company founder and chief creative officer Titus said, “Wow, I am so thrilled! I thank God for these awards and dedicate them to every voice that had the courage to share the abuse that happened at their workplaces. I am also glad that a film like this has been recognized and awarded at so many award shows as I believe that voices like these influence, inspire and contribute towards rooting out this very diabolic, sickening culture from our society.”
The film opens on a young girl weeping profusely and with a determined look, she knows what she wants to do. The very fact that her business role model, a business tycoon, tried to get awkwardly close to her, breaks her apart. But it obviously doesn’t break her confidence and grit to make sure that the world knows about his misdeeds – she walks into a café and pens a note on social media to share the horrific experience. The film takes a twist when we see the post being read by a woman, realising to her horror that it was the same man who abused her years ago. A photograph on the mantle reveals that the two women were related and happen to be mother and daughter. The film ends with the message ‘If you are delaying, you may be encouraging’.
For the record, “Nip in the Bud” also won the prestigious DadaSaheb Phalke Award earlier this year.
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.
