Sanjay Dutt announces ‘Khalnayak'' sequel, says he got idea for part two in jail

MUMBAI: Actor Sanjay Dutt has announced his new film, “Khalnayak Returns”, which will be a fresh interpretation of the 1993 cult classic.

Dutt’s Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Producer Aksha Kamboj’s Aspect Entertainment have jointly secured the rights from filmmaker Subhash Ghai and his company Mukta Arts for the second part of the iconic action-crime movie, which also featured Jackie Shroff and Madhuri Dixit.

The makers unveiled a brief teaser of “Khalnayak Returns” at a special event on Friday evening, with Dutt reprising his iconic role of Ballu in a rugged new avatar.

The 66-year-old actor thanked Ghai for allowing him to make “Khalnayak” again.

“The journey of ‘Khalnayak’ has been long and without Subhash ji it wouldn’t have been possible. He is a legend and the man of entertainment. He will be part of this ‘Khalnayak’,” Dutt told reporters here.

The actor revealed that while he was serving his jail term in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blast case, he began developing the idea to take forward the story of “Khalnayak”.

“In jail, I asked everyone around me -- who will be interested to watch it. And the 4,000 inmates said they all would. I asked all of them to write one page about it (new ‘Khalnayak’ story) and it took me a while to read all the 4,000 pages.

"When I came out on parole, I asked Subhash sir to go through it. After that, he said it should be made,” Dutt said.

Dutt, also known for movies such as "Vaastav", "Agneepath", "Sadak", "Mission Kashmir", and the blockbuster "Munna Bhai" franchise, said he is not someone who works under pressure, replying to a question about playing the fan-favourite character and meeting the expectations of fans.

"For me, what’s important is the script, whether it takes six or eight months or more, I’ll keep troubling Subhash ji for the story, for music, and till the time we don’t get it right, we will not go ahead. The hero of the film is the script and till the time the script is of that level, we will not go on floors," he added.

Ghai said he is elated that the actor is making “Khalnayak Returns”.

“It was his inner wish and passion of Sanju and Maanyata to make this (‘Khalnayak Returns’). I’m sure it’s going to be better (than the original). I’m always there to be of any help,” the filmmaker said.

The original film, directed and produced by Ghai, is remembered as one of the biggest hits of the 1990s, and has attained cult status over the years. It featured Dutt as the anti-hero Ballu, Jackie Shroff as police officer Ram and Madhuri as undercover police officer Ganga.

The newly acquired rights pave the way for a fresh interpretation of the cult classic. While the format, whether a remake, sequel, prequel, or a new script altogether remains under wraps, the collaboration promises to bring the essence of the original to contemporary audiences while retaining its nostalgic appeal, the makers said.

Dutt and Kamboj have roped in Jyoti Deshpande of Jio Studios to creatively helm it.

Fresh from the blockbuster success of the two “Dhurandhar” films, which also featured Dutt in a pivotal role, Deshpande said she is grateful for all the love pouring in for the movie.

“‘Dhurandhar’ became part of pop culture, not referring to the box office success of the film, people have not stopped talking about it, and that’s what you call becoming part of pop culture, you can’t escape it.

"That’s what ‘Khalnayak’ did in 1993, it was a path breaking and genre defining film, people were shocked with the film, the story, characters, music, the peak detailing, each aspect of the film was enjoyed by generations,” Deshpande said, adding, she is looking forward to give a new ‘tadka’ and a ‘new life’ to “Khalnayak”.