Hindi
Zee Cinema to air world TV premiere of ‘Welcome Back’ on 28 May
MUMBAI: Zee Cinema, the world’s biggest theatre for Hindi movies, is all set for the World television premiere of Welcome Back on 28 May at 8 pm. The channel intends to take its viewers on a crazy, fun filled laughter riot with this premiere. The sequel to the Anees Bazmee directed blockbuster Welcome the ensemble star cast includes Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Paresh Rawal, Dimple Kapadia and Naseeruddin Shah. An interesting fact is that ‘Welcome Back’ is the first Bollywood Film to be shot inside the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi amongst other exotic locations.
Zee Cinema, with its promise of Movies.Masti.Magic, brings to its viewers exciting contests and experiences as a part of the promotional plan for the premiere. Mumbaikars will get a chance to spot a sleek ‘Welcome Back’ limousine cruising in and around Matunga, Dadar, Bandra, Worli, Mahim and other parts of South Mumbai on 26 and 27 May. Viewers will get a once in a lifetime chance to take a ride in the plush limousine in Mumbai. Also, the contest #BhaiInMumbai will take place on 26th and 27th May and give viewers an opportunity to click a selfie with the cutouts of Uday Bhai (Nana Patekar), Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor) and other lead stars placed at key locations in the city. They can tag the social media handles of the channel (Facebook: @zeecinema | Twitter: @zeecinema) and the best photographs/participants will win a couple ride in the magnificent limousine on 28 May.
Zee Cinema is setting new benchmarks in customer engagement on social media as well with innovation. The channel has launched India’s first Automated Facebook Messenger Bot that allows the audience to chat with the quirky and fun Uday Bhai (Nana Patekar) and Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor). The Bot uses ‘Natural Language Processing’ which understands what specific information the user is asking based on Algorithms & Machine Learning. Facebook recently launched this facility at the recent F8 developer conference and Zee Cinema is the first brand in India to adopt it for user engagement. Zee Cinema has also adopted a 360 degree marketing approach including TV, Radio, Print and Outdoor Media amongst other mediums to entertain viewers across all platforms to build the premiere on the channel.
Shot at various extravagant locations of Dubai, the movie revolves around Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) and Majnu (Anil Kapoor) who have quit the underworld and become ethical businessmen. It is revealed that Shankar Shetty (Uday’s father also enacted by Nana Patekar) has a second daughter Ranjana (Shruti Haasan) and her marriage is Uday’s responsibility. The twist in the story comes when Ranjana and a hot hunk – Ajay aka Ajju (John Abraham), a well-known street smart criminal falls in love. Having left the crime world, Uday and Majnu try every trick in the book to separate the young couple, but in vain. That is when they decide to take help of the most powerful don Wanted Bhai (Naseeruddin Shah).
The various twists and turns will take the viewers on a ride filled with laughter and lots of entertainment.
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.
