Director Shankar on ‘Indian 3’: We will restart work after ‘Game Changer’ release

Shankar and Kamal Haasan on the sets of ‘Indian 2’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Filmmaker Shankar on Friday said that the production for Indian 3, his sequel film with Kamal Haasan, will restart after the release of Game Changer, his Telugu film set to release during Sankranti next week.

The state of Haasan’s film has long been a topic of discussion, considering the debacle that Indian 2 turned out to be last year. However, director Shankar seems stoic about the negativity surrounding the project, revealing that he’s ready to restart work. “I am ready for it. Once Game Changer is done, we can restart work on Indian 3. We have a few more portions left to shoot,” said Shankar, while addressing the press in Chennai.

Indian 2, the sequel to Kamal Haasan-Shankar’s 1996 film Indian, opened to overwhelmingly negative reviews in July last year. The filmmaker stated that everyone has the right to criticise and that he takes negative reviews as challenges to overcome.

Beyond mere reviews, the film was also subject to a barrage of trolls that took personal swings at the filmmaker. “I am not bothered about those,” said Shankar, adding that he just moved on to what needs to be done next. “The only thing people need to understand is that cinema involves lakhs of workers, from a production boy to a light man. Their livelihoods are dependent on cinema,” he added.

Indian 2, a reunion between Kamal and Shankar, continued the story of freedom fighter-vigilante Senapathy from the first film. The sequel starred Samuthirakani, Bobby Simha, Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The third part is expected to be both a sequel and a prequel, continuing the story from Indian 2, while also depicting the story of Senapathy’s father, a freedom fighter.

Meanwhile, Game Changer, Shankar’s Telugu debut, is a political action thriller starring Ram Charan as an IAS officer. Also featuring SJ Suryah, Kiara Advani and Anjali in pivotal roles, the film is set to release in theatres on January 10.