Hindi
UTV to release six films in 2012
MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures has released the slate of movies that it is to release in 2012.
To start off, the company will release Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, its co-production with Dharma Productions on 10 February.
The film being directed by Shakun Batra and starring Kareena Kapoor and Imraan Khan, is a light hearted, tragicomedy about a guy in his mid twenties going through a breakdown in his personal as well as work life. Rahul Kapoor loses his job as an architect in Vegas and by a twist of fate he meets Riana Braganza, a quick-witted hairstylist who is everything he isn‘t. Will this friendship with her turn to love?
Following in May would be Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, a co-production of UTV Spotboy and Anurag Kashyap directed by Sameer Sharma. The film starring Kunal Kapoor and Huma Qureshi celebrates the lovable quirks of a Punjabi joint family with its inherent humour, drama, confusion, emotion, and the secret recipe for a famous chicken curry Chicken Khurana that forms the crux of the plot.
Releasing on 15 June will be Rowdy Rathore, a joint venture of UTV Motion Pictures and SLB Productions. The film, directed by Prabhudeva, starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, is a remake of Vikramarkudu, the superhit Telugu film which was also remade in Tamil as Siruthai. The film will see Kumar returning to his original action avatar.
Following in July is Barfii, a UTV Motion Pictures product, directed by Anurag Basu. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileyana.
Then there is the Shirish Kunder-directed Joker 3D that releases on 30 August. The film, a co-production of UTV Motion Pictures, Three‘s Company and Hari Om Productions and Shirish Kunder, stars Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha. Akshay Kumar returns to his hometown, a place that‘s so remote and crazy that it‘s not even on the map. And then what follows puts this forgotten little town not just on the country‘s map, but makes it the focus of the entire globe! Aliens!
And the last film on the slate is the Madhur Bhandarkar-directed Heroine. The film, a UTV Motion Pictures and Bhandarkar Entertainment product and starring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, is based on the life and times of a superstar heroine from the dream factory we call ‘Bollywood‘. The film is an entertaining, daring, emotional, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind the scenes account of the reality behind the world of glitz and glamour that our film stars inhabit.
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.
