Hindi
Ultra Media lights up IFFI carnival with a Guru Dutt showcase
GOA: Ultra Media & Entertainment Group turned heads at the IFFI 2025 carnival parade with a flamboyant tableau honouring the cinematic genius of Guru Dutt and India’s enduring love affair with the big screen. As the festival burst into colour on the streets of Goa, Ultra’s float stole the show with a visual mash-up of vintage artistry and modern streaming clout.
The festival opened with governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju and chief minister Pramod Sawant watering a Tulsi plant, a symbolic nod to sustainability and cultural continuity. Ultra followed that cue with a sweeping recreation of classics such as Pyaasa, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Kagaz Ke Phool and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, marking 100 years of Guru Dutt with brooding shadows, poetic mise-en-scène and unmistakable romantic melancholy.
Then came the power pivot. Digital screens and bold graphics charted Ultra’s leap from VHS and DVDs to a multi OTT play: Ultra Play for Hindi cinema and originals, Ultra Jhakaas for Marathi content, Ultra Gaane for music and more platforms loading soon. The message was unmistakable: archiving the past is not enough as streaming is the new home for India’s vast film legacy.
Chairman and chief executive Sushilkumar Agrawal said the tribute underlined Ultra’s mission to preserve cinematic memory while embracing new formats. Chief operating officer Rajat Agrawal said India’s diverse audiences want stories rooted in culture and authenticity and Ultra intends to deliver them across languages and screens.
Delegates and cinephiles cheered the nostalgia meets new tech spectacle. For a parade built on spectacle, Ultra’s float delivered a reminder: the future of Indian cinema still draws its power from the light and shadows of its past and this show has only just begun.
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.
