Avijit Ghosh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 4, 2020)

Saroj Khan (71), who composed the signature moves that paved way for Madhuri Dixit’s rise to stardom, died of cardiac arrest in a Mumbai hospital on Friday. She bagged eight Filmfare awards, a record for a choreographer, reports Avijit Ghosh. Saroj’s shimmies were not confined to Madhuri’s ‘Ek Do Teen’ (Tezaab) and ‘Choli Ke Peechhe’ (Khalnayak), but added another layer to Sridevi’s iconic ‘Hawa Hawaai’ (Mr India), or even the breathtaking steps of Aishwarya Rai-Madhuri duo in ‘Dola Re Dola’ (Devdas). “I’m devastated by the loss of my friend and guru... I will miss you…” Madhuri tweeted.

Saroj Khan, who tossed aside gender barriers in the male-dominated world of choreographers in Hindi cinema and composed the signature moves that paved Madhuri Dixit’s rise to stardom in the 1980s, passed away on Friday. She was 71. She died of cardiac arrest at Mumbai’s Guru Nanak Hospital, where she was admitted in June after developing breathing problems, news agency ANI reported.

Tracks choreographed by Saroj for Madhuri such as Ek Do Teen (Tezaab), Choli Ke Peechhe Kya Hai (Khalnayak), Dhak Dhak Karne Laga (Beta) and Humko Aaj Kal Hai (Sailaab) blended sensuality with rhythm; the jhatkas and mudras are aped at dance parties and ‘ladies’ sangeet ceremonies even today.

No choreographer, male or female, has won as many Filmfare awards: eight.

“I'm devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. Will always be grateful for her work in helping me reach my full potential in danc…” Dixit tweeted.

It wasn’t just Madhuri. Saroj’s shimmies and shakes made Sridevi’s Hawa hawaai and the snake dances of Nagina iconic. But it was the symphonic sway of Dola Re Dola (Devdas), where Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri breathtakingly match steps and smiles that fetched Saroj a National Award for best choreography. “Nobody would have dreamt of doing what she did in Dola Re Dola,” said fellow choreographer Chinni Prakash.

The award was worthy recognition for decades of hard work in a life that defeated extreme poverty. Born Nirmala, her Punjabi-Sindhi parents left Karachi for Bombay during the Partition. The family lived in a one-room tenement in Mahim. A neighbour who ran a food stall offered them the unsold leftovers. “I was raised on pyaaj ki bhajiya (onion fritters) and bread,” she said in the 2014 documentary, The Saroj Khan Story.

Saroj worked as a child actor (Nazrana, Aagosh), a group dancer (Aaiyye meherbaan, Howrah Bridge), even trained as a nurse, before becoming assistant to noted dance director B Sohanlal.

“She trained under my uncle Sohanlal-ji, learnt Indian folk, classical gestures and Indo-Western style movements,” said Prakash. In Nidhi Tuli’s documentary, Saroj also recalls falling in love with Sohanlal, bearing a child and then parting. She later married businessman Sardar Roshan Khan.

Choreography was a male preserve in Bombay cinema -- P L Raj, Gopi Krishna, Badri Prasad, Kamal, Herman Benjamin, to name a few. “She was the first female choreographer in north India and had a tough time entering the field. Girls were only assistants then,” says Chinni Prakash.

She got her break in actress Sadhana’s production Geeta Mera Naam (1974). Among those who backed her was film-maker Subhash Ghai. “However, it was not until Ghai’s Hero (1983) that Khan became a name to be reckoned with,” says Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema.

Prakash recalled how she acted out expressions for Madhuri or Sridevi. “Her adayaein (facial expressions), her hand movements were her specialty,” he said. In a post, film sociologist Susmita Dasgupta too said the choreographer made the song reside in the body of the dancer. “Saroj Khan used the conventional formula to let the body carry the song,” she wrote.

Her success opened the doors for other women choreographers. Director-choreographer Farah Khan posted, “…U were an inspiration to many, myself included. Thank you for the songs.”
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‘She gave lyrics meaning in dance’

Actor Amitabh Bachchan reminisced about Saroj Khan in his blog. 'Masterji' to every actor worth their dancing shoes, Bachchan with his trademark moves had caught her attention and received “shagun” — a one rupee coin that she was known to gift dancers who stood out. He also recalled the time she was pregnant during a shoot. “At one point I saw her, quite alarmingly, finding the foetus had shifted in her stomach and she simply unabashedly pushed it into place, and carried on dancing.” The actor said she gave the industry “the art of converting the lyrics in a song to a meaning in dance”.

Filmmaker to take forward Ballu’s story with a younger villain joining in, has also scripted a new version of his directorial debut
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 27, 2020)

The Coronavirus outbreak may have brought the entertainment industry to a standstill, but Subhash Ghai is working eight-10 hours a day. “I talk for an hour each with the students and faculty of my acting school, watch films and shows, then, for three hours a day, work on scripts. For the last six-seven months we have only been creating content and now, I’m ready with two bound scripts—a sequel to Khalnayak and a remake of my first directorial, Kalicharan,” the filmmaker informs.

The 1993 action thriller revolved around a gangster, Balaram Prasad aka Ballu, who escapes from jail and falls in love with an undercover cop, while continuing to elude the force, kills his mentor, then, has a sudden change of heart and appears in the court to absolve his Ganga, the cop. The film ends with him behind the bars again. “Part 2, which took us two years to script, starts with Ballu coming out of prison. It will also feature a younger villain,” reveals Ghai, pointing out that Sanjay Dutt, who played Ballu, was the one who urged him to write a sequel.

He promises a blockbuster cast, like the original, which also featured Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Raakhee, Ramya Krishnan, Anupam Kher, Pramod Moutho and Neena Gupta in a special appearance in the chartbuster “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai”. Interestingly, the controversial song did not feature in the original script. “Khal Nayak was planned as a Hollywood film, with Omar Sharif and Ashok Amritraj as the producer. But I opted out because I didn’t want to make a film in a language I wasn’t too familiar with,” says Ghai, who then decided to make it as a small art house movie with Jackie Shroff and Nana Patekar as cop and criminal. “It eventually rolled out as a mainstream masala movie, with a heroine, love story, a mother track and half-a-dozen songs woven in, as dictated by the formula, and Sanju as the khalnayak,” shares Ghai.

He promises to upgrade his craft so the new Khal Nayak finds a connect with the new generation. Point out that the pandemic has created a fear psychosis and it may be a while before the audience goes back to the theatres, and he retorts, “In that case, we can turn it into a six-hour digital series by developing the characters. A thriller can engage people across mediums.”

He’s equally charged up about the remake of the 1973 action drama, Kalicharan, which was a breakthrough film for Shatrughan Sinha, who had a double role, of a fearless cop and a fearful criminal. Ghai discloses that the actor, who was a busy villain then, had thumbed it down when he’d first narrated the script to him, dismissing it as another cop film. “When N N Sippy decided to produce it, names like Sanjeev Kumar and Rajesh Khanna cropped up. But I pointed out that I’d written the subject with my friend in mind. This time Shatru loved the subject,” he reminisces, admitting that back then, he was just a storyteller and relied on his technical crew to take him to the finish. The film was a huge hit and remade in Tamil (Sangili), Telugu (Kaidi Kalidasu), Kannada (Kaalinga) and Malayalam (Pathamudayam). “Two-three young stars had showed interest in a remake over the last couple of years, given the contrasting characters. It’s a gripping screenplay, the plot will be the same, but the treatment will be very newage,” Ghai concludes, all geared up to get back into action.

Sanjay Dutt announces the sequel to his 1993 runaway hit with Tiger Shroff even as filmmaker Subhash Ghai asserts he hasn't parted with the film's rights
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 20, 2019)

Sanjay Dutt is displaying an ambitious streak with his recently launched production house, Sanjay S Dutt Productions. Even as the first Hindi movie from the stable — Prassthanam — hits screens today, the star has set the ball rolling on his next offering. Dutt, who was in Dubai on September 18 to promote the political drama, confirmed to the media there that he has begun the groundwork on the sequel to Khalnayak (1993). Considering the Subhash Ghai-directed crime thriller remains one of Dutt's most memorable films, one can imagine his enthusiasm to take the story forward.

Says a trade source, "Khalnayak revolved around the attempt of the police squad — led by Jackie Shroff's character Ram — to capture the criminal, Ballu, played by Dutt. Buzz is, the sequel will kick off with Ballu coming out of prison after having served his sentence and meeting Ram's son. While Sanju will reprise his role, he stated that he has reached out to Tiger Shroff for a pivotal part in the film. It is a wise idea to have Tiger play the role of Ram's son considering Jackie played the honest police officer in the first instalment."

Promising as it all sounds, the glitch is that Dutt has yet to acquire the film's rights from Ghai. The source adds, "Several directors have expressed interest in remaking or creating a sequel to Khalnayak. But Ghai hasn't parted with the rights. While negotiating the transfer of rights, the director has often expressed his desire to have creative control over the remakes. It is said to be one of the reasons why his Ram Lakhan deal with Rohit Shetty fell through. It is yet to be seen if Ghai relents in this case."

When mid-day reached out to Ghai, he said, "Sanjay Dutt and few other producers have approached us, but we have not sold the rights of the sequel of Khalnayak to anyone yet. "

Meanwhile, the spokesperson from Sanjay S Dutt Productions confirmed that they had initiated talks with the filmmaker. "We are hoping to acquire the rights. The cast and director will be decided only after that."

Back in the 1990s, photographer Dayanita Singh — armed with her camera — lurked around Bollywood sets, where top stars tried to match steps with Saroj Khan. She shares some of the freeze frames
Dayanita Singh (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 10, 2017)

In the early 1990s, I had the chance to accompany photographer Mary Ellen Mark and film critic Anupama Chopra on the sets of Khalnayak. Anupama had to interview Sanjay Dutt for a magazine. And it was the first time I saw choreographer Saroj Khan on set. I was amazed how graceful and light-footed she was. It was the first time when the sexy moves — earlier associated with Hindi cinema’s vamps — were being done by the heroines. I think Saroj Khan made this shift.

Actress Sridevi’s career was dipping; Madhuri Dixit was the rising star. And Saroj Khan was instrumental in shaping her career. She was making the stars. If some historian ever documents this era in Hindi cinema, Saroj Khan will play an instrumental role.

I made this work soon after Khalnayak directed by Subhash Ghai. I flew to Bombay from Delhi to make pictures of her. She was doing three shifts a day. When it came to a song and dance sequence, she sat with the cameraman. Saroj Khan was called ‘Masterji’ by everyone on the set, including the big stars. People touched her feet and greatly revered her. I followed her for three weeks till my film was over.

For years, I kept these works in hibernation. Then last year, I showed this to my friend, Mark Morris, a New York-based choreographer. And he choreographed (or curated) a set of 30 images that play on loop with Carnatic nadaswaram music for the White Light Festival at the Lincoln Center.

It’s coming to India for the first time for the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, next week.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 5, 2017)

"He can pull off a ganji [vest] in style and make it look cool,” says Navin Shetty, who has been Sanjay Dutt’s stylist for nearly two decades. As the actor readies himself to make a comeback with Omung Kumar’s Bhoomi, there’s talk about his new look for the film. He has been seen on the set of the film in Agra in a kurta pyjama with a cropped, short mane. Dutt is one of those few actors who undergoes a metamorphosis for every one of his films. His looks have become iconic since his debut in Rocky (1981).

Navin says that there’s something unique about Dutt as he can effortlessly slip from playing a brooding gangster to a heartwarming hero. “He isn’t different in real-life either. The guy is all-heart with the DNA of a rockstar. There is an intrinsic aura to Sanju Sir. He commands awe the minute he walks on the set. You don’t need to fuss over him, you just know a superstar is in the vicinity.”


Setting a trend
The stylist says Dutt has always been a trendsetter. In the '90s, he was the first to sport long hair in films like Khalnayak (1993) and Saajan (1991) before other actors like Saif Ali Khan and Bobby Deol went on to ape it. As Navin puts it, “His long hair was a rage among the girls.”

The first glimpse of Ranbir Kapoor sporting long hair was leaked from the set of the biopic on Sanjay Dutt a few days ago. RK plays Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani’s film. It was natural to ask Navin which would be the most challenging look for the makers to crack. “Khalnayak (1993) and Kaante (2002; pictured above),” he answers promptly while saying, “Sanju Sir never interferes with the work of any stylist. If he has anything specific in mind, he makes suggestions beforehand. His faith in me has always been steadfast. Once I have got him ready, he doesn’t look into the mirror. His confidence sets him apart. Not every actor can wear what he does and look good in it. One of the advantages of working with him, is that he allows you to experiment. Anything you give him becomes an extension of his personality,” Navin adds.

One of his toughest tasks was to get the right look for Dutt in PK (2014) in which he played a Rajasthani character. “Once he was in costume, he was comfortable. Even in churidar and kurta, he rocked the look.”



Though Naveen isn’t the man styling Ranbir for the biopic, he says he is keen to see the young actor replicate Sanjay’s look in Musafir (2004). “He was ultra whacko in it. He wore a blue lens in one eye and green in the other. He had spiked hair, done differently and a toned beard. That is his most loud film and everything in it was outlandish. It will be fun to see Ranbir do that and I have no doubt he will ace it,” he quips, adding, “There was a specific pair of trousers for that film that he had his heart set on. It was the only time in so many years that he’d insisted on something so strongly.”

Another look that will be an uphill task for Ranbir, according to Navin, will be from Agneepath (2012; pictured above). “He looked bulky and menacing with a shaved head. I am not sure what the biopic includes, but if he has to look anything like Kancha, it will require a lot of work.”

Reference point
Since Navin has worked with Sanjay and Rajkumar Hirani in the Munnabhai franchise, he understands the preparation that goes into a regular Hirani film during pre-production. Quiz him about the film’s stylist needing help in referencing from him, and he says, “I know that for the biopic, Raju sir would’ve already decided the looks he wants to incorporate in the film. A few rounds of rehearsals would’ve already been done on them.
His style of working is methodical.”

Gangsta rap
Of all the feedback that has poured in for his work over the years, he says the gangster look has been a unanimous favourite with all. “Leather jackets, accessories and boots are his all-time favourites. That’s the one time he loves dressing up. Beads on the neck, earrings, sometimes leather wristbands. Unlike other actors, he doesn’t obsess about branded stuff. Since he can render class to anything he picks up from the street, he has a few local haunts which he frequents.”

Accessorize it
Navin, who has worked with Sanjay since Plan in 2004 says, “Sanju has a fetish for watch and sunglasses. He picks up a new one every time he likes something and has an enviable collection. Usually actors ask their stylists for suggestions on their personal collection, but he is inherently stylish, he doesn’t need it. He could be a little possessive about his stuff, but when it comes to photoshoots, he uses his own clothes and looks classically Sanjay Dutt."

Sanjay Dutt, after serving out his sentence, is raring to get back into action with half-a-dozen films, including one penned by two convicts which he will produce
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 31, 2016)


Nattily dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, Sanjay Dutt looks fighting fit and relaxed as he settles down to his first interview since stepping out of Yerwada jail on February 25. It's been six months since, and he's savouring his time with the family. Wife Manyata helped him stay connected when away through letters and would drive down to Pune once a month to meet him, not missing a mulaqat even when she was unwell because that would have meant waiting till the next month. "I don't know if I'd have done as much. She's made me realise how important a wife is. She's given me a home, two beautiful children, stayed strong and helped me stay strong," he tears up.

Sanjay however refused to let his kids, Iqra and Shahraan, visit him, not wanting them to have any memories of their papa in prison. But once they're older, Manyata and he have decided to tell them about it before anyone else does.

"For now they are happy to have me back, papa se darr nahin lagta, he's not a disciplinarian. He only wants them to grow up to be good human beings," he says.

There was a time when the 57-year-old actor had shied away from interviews. Today he speaks candidly about his life before industrialists, executives and young entrepreneurs, admitting that after the anger, resentment and sadness over his sentencing had faded, he decided to find some positives to make the jail term bearable. "I read the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana and the Puranas, used buckets and clothes lines to work out, learnt Marathi and how to make paper bags. I also worked at the radio station and in the natak mandali in jail where I taught 60-70 convicts serving out life sentences to mouth dialogues, sing, dance and express themselves through skits," he reveals.

After six months they hosted a cultural function to which Rajkumar Hirani and the jail authorities were invited. When the latter applauded, the prisoners turned emotional, swore to reform and work hard after release, says Sanjay, pointing out most of them are not hardened criminals but committed a crime in the heat of the moment or were driven by circumstances. "I made a mistake too. I should have been more responsible, but I was young then. I paid for it and now, finally, it's behind me," he says with relief, admitting that if he could turn the clock back, he'd have listened to his parents and after being arrested, studied up on the law.

"Every citizen should know the law because once you are in jail, no amount of money can buy you back your freedom. In 1993, when I went to M N Singh (then Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime), he decided my case fell under the provisions of TADA. Had I known then what TADA meant, I'd have questioned it," he rues, happy that the Supreme Court eventually acquitted him of the terror charges in the '93 Mumbai blasts. "I was convicted under the Arms Act for possession of a rifle which was never found nor used to threaten anyone. Still it's a big relief that I'm not branded a terrorist and an anti-national thanks to the SC's judgement. My father (Sunil Dutt) who had passed away by then, would have been happy."

He remembers his father as a Gandhian, a man of honour and respect, the strongest person he's known. "In weak moments, I'd recall my parents teaching me to love the country and all religions," he says, pointing out that though his mother, Nargis Dutt, was buried in the same cemetery as her mother, Jaddan Bai, her last rites were conducted by a pandit, a maulana, a Christian priest and a Buddhist monk. "Today, after coming out of jail, I realise people respect me because I didn't run away. I served my sentence like a man and came out like a man, with dignity."

There were reports of him getting special privileges, including frequent furloughs which were sometimes extended, and he argues that according to the law, every prisoner is entitled to furlough and parole after a certain period. "I'd served out 18 months of the sentence earlier so I was entitled to furlough six months into my term this time. Every day hundreds of prisoners come out on parole and hundreds go back in, no one talks about them. Stardom is a doubleedged sword. Anyway, I faced it all and finished it off," he reflects.

Sanjay's returned home with a script he penned with two of inmates, Zeeshan and Dr Sameer whom he met at the radio station and discovered they had a flair for writing. He tossed them an idea and encouraged them to turn it into a movie script. Initially apprehensive, they eventually came up with a light-hearted take on the jail with the message of reformation. "I've given it to Sajid-Farhad to polish, it's likely that the duo will direct the film for me. Once the script is locked, we'll pitch it to a couple of actors, we need someone younger," says the actor-producer.

Meanwhile, his story may find its way into a book. It has also spawned a biopic with Ranbir Kapoor playing him. The day he stepped out of jail, Raju Hirani took the first shot. "I was in a daze. I don't know what we shot, I don't even know if I'm in the film," Sanjay confides, refuting rumours that the film has been delayed because he wants the script tweaked. "I'm told they'll start in December. The dates are sorted but Raju is still writing. He has 900 hours of recorded conversations with me from which he has to cull out a two-and-a-half-hour film. He doesn't want me to hear it till the first draft is ready. He should give me a narration in 15-20 days."

The script that did not measure up was Siddharth Anand's action film. Buzz is, Shelly Chopra's Marco Bhau script has also fallen short but Sanjay insists that this film which was to roll in November has been delayed by a month because producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra wants the music to be ready first. "It'll be the first film I shoot for, a decision taken by Vinodji and me when I was out on furlough. It's a feel-good film about a father-daughter relationship, the right one to start this innings with," he asserts, adding that around the time he will also start the Hindi remake of Mahesh Manjrekar's Marathi film De Dhakka.

Also on the cards is Khalnayak Returns which he will be co-producing with Subhash Ghai and which will revolve around Ballu Balaram, his iconic character. "Once the script is ready, we'll decide on the director," he says. Sanjay Leela Bhansali had wanted the rights to Khal Nayak, will they approach him? "He's busy with Padmavati, besides he's too big a director!"

There's also an action-adventure, Kafala, Dance Gangs "for which I have to sit with Remo D'Souza" and Bhumi, an emotional family drama. What about Dhamaal 3? Sanjay reveals that Indra Kumar did meet him for another instalment of the hit franchise but they couldn't agree on the economics and it's on hold. However, Munna Bhai 3 should start after the biopic.

Sanjay wants to only do a few films that matter and as a producer invest in entertaining commercial cinema made in the right budget, with the right script. "I want to do the kind of roles Denzel Washington, Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner play if I get such scripts. I'm at that age now," muses the actor who's raring to get back to work. He got a preview of sorts when he shot for a vest ad.

"It was amazing being back on the sets again, in front of the camera and the lights. Some veteran fighters and junior artistes came to Madh Island to meet me, making it special," he smiles, saying that from October he'll focus on his workouts and will be in perfect shape when he starts shooting.

Before that during his kids' Diwali break he's planning a family vacation. "I can't go to certain countries like UK and the US and Europe may be too cold then so it could be the Maldives," he says. Didn't he leave the IIFA Awards prematurely to romp with his wife and kids in Ibiza? "My family went to Barcelona before coming to Madrid. I was too ill to travel and spent the next two days in bed. I wouldn't have gone to Spain had I not made a commitment. Even Raju had a terrible flu," he sighs.

Along with the twins he's also very close to his firstborn, Trishala, and is all praise for her grandparents and aunt who have brought her up amazingly well. "I don't know if I could have raised her as well. They gave her the best education. She's graduated in forensic science and now is into fashion. I'm proud of her," he beams. Any plans of getting into films? "No, woh keeda dimag se nikal gaya hai," he laughs, adding that they wrote to each other regularly when he was in jail and now speak every second day.

Talking about bonding, he admits that there was a lot of that in the industry earlier. "Now the set-up is more professional," laments Sanjay who's close to Sajid Nadiadwala but if rumours are to be believed, is at war with Salman Khan.

"What jhagda? I went to his Ganpati celebrations when I was out on furlough and no one wrote about it. But he didn't visit me after I returned and that was news. He's a busy actor, he was shooting far away, he can't be sitting at my house 24x7 but he's still my younger brother," Sanjay asserts.

He's also mended bridges with former bestie Sanjay Gupta who, he says, is one of our best technicians who's made path-breaking movies like Kaante. "Bhaiyon mein jhagda hota hai and the world takes advantage of that. But jab bhai mil jaate hain, no one talks about it," he grouses, saying he is waiting for Gupta to come to him with a great script.

And will he get back into politics? The query raises a laugh, "The good point of being convicted is that you can't contest for three years." And after that? "No," he says shortly. "I may campaign for Priya Dutt because she's my sister even if I don't support her party. My sisters and I share a special bond."

MID-DAY (August 5, 2016)

After walking out of what was supposed to be his comeback vehicle, Sanjay Dutt has moved on to Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s production Marco Bhau, which will now mark his return to screen after two years. Buzz is that the actor’s former flame, Madhuri Dixit, is being considered to play his leading lady.

Dutt and Madhuri were among the widely discussed couples of the ’90s, sharing an undeniable chemistry on screen, especially in their last outing, Khalnayak (1993). However, their alleged steady relationship hit rock bottom when Dutt was arrested for illegal possession of arms in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. They have remained strangers ever since.

The last time they spoke was in June, when Mads called up the actor to make sure that there was no reference to her in his proposed biopic (reported by hitlist on June 11). The dancing diva didn’t wish to revisit the past since she is happily married with two sons now.

So, will she have a change of heart and reunite with her Khalnayak hero? A source close to the project says, “Madhuri is close to Vidhu Vinod, who directed her in the 1989 hit film, Parinda. So, she might just give her nod to the film. Moreover, Vidhu Vinod is known to bring controversial figures together on reel.”

Marco Bhau will be helmed by Vidhu Vinod’s sister, Shelly Chopra, and feature Dutt as father to a grown- up daughter.

Kriti Sanon and Athiya Shetty are said to be in the running for the role.

The actor will reprise his iconic character Ballu Balaram but the showman will be handing over the reins to a younger director
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 9, 2016)

May 2013: Subhash Ghai announces that he is reworking his 1993-action thriller, Khalnayak. "It won't exactly be a remake but an adaptation to suit today's audience," he asserts, rubbishing rumours that John Abraham will play Sanjay Dutt's character Ballu Balaram but promising an announcement soon on the director and the cast.

October 11, 2014: Mirror learns that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has approached Ghai with an offer to remake the film, a collaboration between his production house and Ghai's banner Mukta Arts. SLB denies this even after Ranveer Singh (Mirror, December 22, 2015) says he was waiting for the director to call him for Khalnayak. "I'm ready, after Bajirao Mastani I think I've earned it," he had asserted.

July 8, 2016: Ghai informs that Sanjay Dutt and he have joined hands to produce Khalnayak Returns and the 56-year-old-actor will be reviving his iconic character in the sequel. "We've made an agreement to produce Khalnayak Returns which will roll by the year end or early next year. I'd met Sanjay when he was out on parole and discussed the idea with him. He made a soundtrack with some voiceover in the background which I loved. Impressed with his passion for the film, we decided to take the idea forward," says Ghai adding that he wants to make an intelligent sequel like that of The Godfather which today's viewers can connect with.

Khalnayak revolves around the capture of dreaded gangster, Ballu Balaram, by inspector Ram, played by Jackie Shroff. However, he escapes from jail and Ram's cop girlfriend, Ganga enacted by Madhuri Dixit, goes undercover to reel him in. But then she lets him go and is arrested for aiding a criminal and accused of being in a relationship with him. As she stands trial, Ballu surrenders.

Ghai had once revealed that the film was conceived with Nana Patekar in mind. But things didn't work out and he rewrote the script and cast Sanjay Dutt.

In April 1993, Sanjay was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA). Soon after Khalnayak released. The six-minute song, "Choli ke peechhe kya hai", also created a storm over its lyrics. The two controversies ensured plenty of pre-release publicity for the film which went on to become a box-office hit. It was remade in Telugu as Khaidi No. 1 with Vinod Kumar in Sanjay's role.

Prod Ghai on the sequel and he reveals that it will kick off with Ballu coming out of the jail after 20 years to find himself in a completely different world. Circumstances take him back to the world of crime. "It'll be a multi-starrer with many new characters. You never know, Ballu might find another khalnayak, among them," the filmmaker says.

Ghai will hand over the reins to a younger director but will be creatively involved in the music and also conduct a workshop for the actors. Will we get to hear the chartbusters, "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" and "Nayak Nahi Khalnayak Hoon Main" again? "The title track will be retained but we are yet to take a call on 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai'," Ghai adds, dismissing that Jackie's son Tiger Shroff has been roped in for the sequel. "We haven't singed anyone yet. We are completing the script first. There's lots of excitement and we'll announce further developments at the right time," he signs off.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 26, 2016)

Subhash Ghai reveals that he had initially conceived his 1993 crime drama, Khalnayak, as a Hollywood film, Negatives, which he planned to make in association with Ashok Amritraj. Audie Murphy was to play the notorious criminal and Omar Sharif, the cop giving chase.

"The plot found favour with many, and I was developing it with a Hollywood scriptwriter. The subject revolved only around these two characters and a woman who was like a Geisha," informs Ghai, who on his return to India, was plagued with second thoughts since he had autonomous powers as a director back home, involved with every aspect of filmmaking, from writing and editing to music and performances. "In the West, the director is just a hired technician who had to surrender to the wishes of the studio honchos, actors, the first, second and third writer and so many more."

Unwilling to adapt to this work culture in a bid to make a competitive mainstream film for the global market, Ghai decided to turn the plot into a typical Hindi family-dram-cum-love story, bringing in the track of the mother and creating the character of Ganga as the cop, Ram's lady love.

Madhuri Dixit had a three-film deal with Ghai's production house and she happily agreed to play Ganga. "Madhuri and Kareena (Kapoor) were the only two actresses to honour the contract, several others, including Mahima Chaudhry and Katrina (Kaif), didn't," rues Ghai, pointing out that for the role of Ram, Jackie Shroff, who was almost family, had successfully played Ram in Ram Lakhan and whose face reflected goodness, was the perfect fit.

When the film was announced, Anil Kapoor, another actor who was almost family, expressed interest in playing the khal nayak. But the filmmaker had Sanjay Dutt in mind for bad man Ballu and after giving him a two-line narration, Ghai told the actor that he'd have to shoot 16 hours and take a pay cut because it was an expensive film. Sanjay was game and Ghai booked a full page ad in a film weekly to announce the news.

He then grabbed headlines by moving to Tips, which was paying him Rs 1 crore for the music over HMV's Rs 40 lakh. It was a big deal but he lived up to the expectations raised with "Choli Ke Peechey Kya Hai", which was an instant hit. The music label sold one crore cassettes in the first release itself. "But then a lawyer from Delhi, who had heard his four-year-old son singing the 'obscene' song, moved court on the grounds that it was polluting the child's mind and degrading Indian culture. Politicians and women's organisations jumped into the fray and suddenly, I was battling 32 political parties, trying to persuade them to see the film before jumping to conclusions," reminisces Ghai.

Bal Thackeray came to his defence after watching the movie in a private screening, calling it a "patriotic" film in his paper Saamana and asserting that there was nothing wrong with the "Choli" song. However, the controversy it raised cost Ghai a National Award. "I lost by one vote to Yash Chopra's Darr," he sighs.

Another unanticipated controversy was the arrest of Sanjay for illegal possession of arms. They were shooting the climax in a courtroom and the news left them shocked. Soon after, his 'khalnayak' was arrested and many demanded a ban on the film.

Ghai persevered, the film opened with 11 premieres across Delhi, attended by 10 top directors, including Shekhar Kapur, Rakesh Roshan and JP Dutta. "Sanjay was out on bail and when I saw a crowd of 10,000 cheering him and Madhuri outside each of these 11 theatres, I was reassured. Never before or after have I got this kind of a response," he exults.

The premiere in Los Angeles too drew such huge crowds that cops on horses were called to control them, much to their surprise since an Indian film had never excited such craze, even among firangs before. Khal Nayak celebrated a golden jubilee run and 12 years after its release, the British Film Institute informed Ghai that its students had voted it into a top 10 list of best of international films. It was at number six!

Twenty- three years later, Ghai is being asked for its rights by several makers who want to helm a remake. "Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) approached me but then he got busy with Bajirao Mastani. The offers continue to come. Maybe I can direct the remake myself," he muses. "Let Sanjay come out of jail next month, then we'll see."