Hindi
Whistling Woods in co-production pact with University of Calgary
MUMBAI: In another move to widen its wings internationally, Whistling Woods International (WWI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Calgary and SAIT for a co-production partnership.
This will be an exchange program between select students from the joint University of Calgary (UC) and South Albertan Institute of Technology (SAIT) Bachelor of Film Studies Program and Whistling Woods International (WWI) film school, Mumbai.
This agreement is poised to mark an important milestone in education and training in Digital technology and knowledge exchange related to different facets of film production. This initiative is spread over six months, including pre-production, production and post-production process shared equally between WWI and UC. 10 students (5 from Mumbai, 5 from Calgary) and 4 instructors (2 from Mumbai, 2 from Calgary) will participate in this venture.
Speaking on the occasion, Whistling Woods International, founder and chairman Subhash Ghai said, “It is a great privilege for Whistling Woods to be associated with universities of this stature internationally. I am truly grateful that UC and SAIT have extended their support to us for this new exchange programme and look forward to a long-standing, strong working relationship together.”
The WWI team will travel to Canada for part of the principal shoot and the rest will be executed in India with the Canadian counterparts in Mumbai. The project will create greater cross-cultural and mutual understanding of each other‘s work processes, values, approaches and ways of working. Additionally, the project will encourage possibilities of curricula and faculty exchange in the future.
Students and faculty involved in the project will be the first to participate in this cross-cultural exchange and have the opportunity to gain international work experience. This cooperative initiative will evaluate the feasibility of future collaborative ventures related to the training of professionals in the film industry.
These select students along with selected instructors from both campuses will work together to produce a short 20-minute film that shall be premiered at the 2013 Banff World Media Festival, one of the biggest International gatherings of short films in the world.
Recently, WWI had announced that it would, in collaboration with Trend Media City Ltd (TMC), set up a film and media training institute in Nigeria that would mark Africa‘s first world-class film institute to be called Whistling Woods International Nigeria (WWIN).
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.
