Aanand L. Rai Talks About Making Tanu Weds Manu 3 As The Kangana, Madhavan Starrer Original Completes A Decade

It’s been a decade since Aanand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu shook Bollywood with its small-town desi love story featuring Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavan. The 2011 film which changed the filmmaker’s career trajectory entirely with its success was followed up with an even better sequel Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Post the second film fans wonder if Rai will take forward the franchise with a third film bringing back Kangana and Madhavan to the big screen.

The filmmaker finally answers the million-dollar question if Tanu Weds Manu 3 is happening on the 10^th anniversary of the original which hit theatres on 25 February 2011. Talking to Quint, Aanand L. Rai hinted at the possibility of a third film and said, “Definitely the day we have a story. It all depends on the story. Like, Tanu Weds Manu Returns happened when we went for Raanjhanaa’s first session of writing. That time Tanu Weds Manu Returns striked us, it never striked us before that. And we knew that after Raanjhanaa we are making this. Now the day we have three, we will make it. With such beautiful characters we have, we need a story to take it out. We have Datto, we have Tanu, we have Manu we have Pappi. But definitely, with the kind of expectations, we need to have a competent potential love story.”

Aanand L Rai also spoke about casting choices for Tanu Weds Manu when he planned the original and revealed how he came about casting Madhavan and Kangana for the titular roles. “I was aware of one thing that nobody at that point was looking at me ki yaar ye ek achi film bana lega. And I always felt that why will the A-listers of that time work with me, they have so many choices. There is a league of directors who are waiting to work with them. So the only way for me to make this film was to do an honest casting,” he told the publication.

“Manu I thought mujhe Madhavan mil jaye, a very fine, sorted actor and Tanu definitely was like I needed somebody to have that Indian value with the firebrand quality. For Kangana also it was a new space coming to a Trivedi family… in her zone taking this tangent path of Tanu,” he added.

For now, the filmmaker awaits the release of his upcoming film Atrangi Re which stars Akshay Kumar, Dhanush and Sara Ali Khan in key roles. The film will hit theatres on 6 August, 2021.