Hindi
Veteran film and TV actor Om Puri passes away
NEW DELHI: Veteran actor Om Puri, who gave countless memorable performances in movies of diverse genres and also on television shows, died at his residence in Mumbai this morning after a massive heart attack. He was 66.
‘Puri passed away this morning due to a heart attack at his residence in suburban Andheri. It’s shocking,’ a family source was quoted by PTI as saying.
From Bollywood to Hollywood, from independent to art films to television, the noted actor, known for his versatility, gave several acclaimed performances. Puri featured in several Indian, Pakistani, British and Hollywood mainstream commercial films. However, as many of his fans said Puri would be remembered more for his stellar roles in TV serial ‘Tamas’ and film ‘Ardh Satya’. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award, in 1990.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Puri’s demise and recalled his long career in theatre and films. Minister for information and broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu too condoled Puri’s death and remembered his contribution to the Indian film and TV industry. Bollywood celebrities, including Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Anupam Kher, Javed Akhtar and Mahesh Bhatt, expressed grief over Puri’s demise, calling it a huge loss to Indian cinema.
Born in Ambala, Haryana, in a Punjabi family, Puri graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He was also an alumnus of the 1973 class of National School of Drama, where Naseeruddin Shah was a batch mate. He made his film debut in the 1976 Marathi film ‘Ghashiram Kotwal’.
Some of his notable films include ‘Bhavni Bhavai’, ‘Sadgati, ‘Ardh Satya’, ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Dharavi’, ‘Aakrosh’, ‘Maachis’, ‘Gupt’, ‘Dhoop’ and ‘Yuva’. He earned international fame in many British films, such as ‘My Son the Fanatic’, ‘East Is East’ and ‘The Parole Officer’. He also appeared in Hollywood films like ‘City of Joy’, ‘Wolf’, ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’, among others.
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.
