Shankar reveals inspiration for Indian 2: 'Nothing has changed, corruption remains prevalent'

Filmmaker Shankar revealed that he had long nurtured a desire and ambition to make a sequel to his 1996 blockbuster Indian. Starring Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan in the lead, the success of Indian solidified Shankar's position in Indian cinema early in his directorial career. The director wanted to further expand the universe of Indian and examine the layers of corruption in our country through the character of Senapathy, also known as 'Indian thatha'.

"Initially, we talked about making sequels, but we went in different directions in our careers," revealed Kamal when he appeared on Star Sports Tamil during the IPL match between CSK and RCB on Saturday. Kamal and Shankar went on the show to promote Indian 2, which is expected to arrive in cinemas in July.

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However, in 2017, Shankar finally caught an idea that was worthy of a movie franchise. "When I read newspapers daily, I realized nothing had changed. Corruption and bribery remain prevalent. I used to wonder what would happen if 'Indian thatha' returned now. He will come, but what will be the storyline? It didn't strike me for a long time, and I would put that idea aside. Mainly, it took me so many years to decide on the 'don't do' list, should I ever make a sequel. I used to think about the sequel after every film, but nothing clicked till 2017," he noted.

It's unclear what event inspired Shankar to jump-start the production of the sequel to Indian after a gap of two decades. Earlier, the filmmakers released a video song setting the stage for the return of 'Indian thatha'. The song claims that corruption and injustice have been normalized, warranting the urgent return of Indian to protect the common people.

Kamal seems to be more excited about Indian 3 than Indian 2. He noted that Shankar's sprawling storyline for the franchise was one of the reasons he said yes to this project.

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"I usually say 'expect the unexpected' on my show (Bigg Boss Tamil). But, for a change, I would like to say 'expect the expected' because Shankar has created a storyline that will encourage us to expect more (from Indian 3). That's the reason I agreed to do the second part after a gap of so many years," added Kamal.