Hindi
Whistling Woods & Neeta Lulla to set up a School of Fashion
MUMBAI: Producer – director Subhash Ghai and fashion designer Neeta Lulla have joined hands to launch a fashion school, which will be called Whistling Woods – Neeta Lulla School of Fashion (WWNL).
Spearheaded academically by Lulla and featuring a guest faculty of fashion industry greats, WWNL aims to create the next generation of fashion designers and fashion industry professionals. WWNL will commence classes in August with admissions opening in the second week of May.
Ghai said, "Fashion has always played an integral role in films. Through fashion, characters come alive before the camera. Neeta Lulla who has spent so many years with the industry has continually strived to grow the field of fashion, both within the film industry and outside of it. I‘m delighted that Whistling Woods is partnering with her to create the Whistling Woods – Neeta Lulla School of Fashion."
Courses run will be a Diploma in Fashion Design (one year) and an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design (two years). The WWNL School of Fashion will also be bridging the gap between industry and academia by bringing on board an advisory board consisting of industry specialists, guest and visiting faculty from the industry. The institute also plans to invite globally renowned teachers from Europe‘s finest fashion schools and the global fashion industry to deliver guest lectures.
Lulla added, "When I started out in the fashion industry, there were limited options available within fashion education in India but today, it gives me great pride to announce our school of fashion that will train fashion aspirants to excel at the highest levels. I could not see a better fit than Whistling Woods to partner with and to launch a structured comprehensive School of Fashion and I‘m thrilled to be working with Subhashji and his institute for the same."
Whistling Woods International president Meghna Ghai-Puri said, "We‘re very excited to be launching the fashion space. This is something we‘ve wanted to do for a long time and we couldn‘t have found a better partner. Whistling Woods has always been the best platform for industry aspirants. With the launch of the Whistling Woods – Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, we are reinforcing our commitment to developing local talent in all spheres of the thriving Indian film industry."
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.
