Sanjay Dutt, the star of the original film, has acquired the rights to the 1993 Bollywood blockbuster “Khal Nayak” alongside producer Aksha Kamboj, with Jio Studios coming on board to present and produce the project.
Dutt’s Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Kamboj’s Aspect Entertainment jointly secured the rights from “Khal Nayak’s” original creator Subhash Ghai and Mukta Arts. Jio Studios president Jyoti Deshpande is set to creatively oversee the venture. The exact format – whether a remake, sequel, prequel or an entirely original script built around the source material – has yet to be revealed.
Written, directed and produced by Ghai, “Khal Nayak” starred Dutt alongside Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher and Rakhee Gulzar. The film’s plot followed two police officers – Ram and Ganga – as they pursued escaped criminal Ballu, the role that established Dutt as one of Bollywood’s most versatile performers at a time when grey-shaded leading men were rare in mainstream Hindi cinema. The film generated substantial controversy around its song “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai” for its suggestive lyrics. It became the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
The project marks the first production venture for Aspect Entertainment, the film arm of Kamboj’s Aspect Global conglomerate.
“‘Khal Nayak’ stood out as an era-defining film just as the ‘Dhurandhar’ duology has done today,” said Deshpande. “We are delighted to present this collaboration with Sanjay and Aksha as we look to reintroduce this iconic character back to the big screen for a new generation.”
“It’s been a long-cherished dream of mine to be able to revive this film and hence we have legally acquired the rights for it,” added Dutt. “I want to thank Subhashji and the team of Mukta Arts for entrusting us with this legacy.”
“This will be our first venture under the banner Aspect Entertainment,” said Kamboj. “Having Jio Studios to present this and with Jyoti Deshpande’s track record of blockbusters, we have a winning combination that makes it even more exciting for us to start this journey.”
Jio Studios, the media and content arm of Reliance Industries Limited, has tasted considerable success at the Hindi-language box office for three years, with “Stree 2” (2024), “Dhurandhar” (2025) and “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” (2026) each becoming blockbusters.
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