Shankar says ‘Indian 2’ goes beyond Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan hypes up ‘Indian 3’
Kamal Haasan, director Shankar and the team of ‘Indian 2’ met the media on June 25 in Chennai. The trailer was exclusively screened for the press in the city. Speaking at the press conference, Kamal Haasan spoke highly about director Shankar and ‘Indian 3’. Director Shankar also revealed that the story has expanded beyond Tamil Nadu in the sequels. He also showered praise on Kamal Haasan for his conviction and determination.
Director Shankar arrived late at the press conference as he was busy with the post-production of ‘Indian 2’. He said, “All my films are written based on many what-if scenarios. This film is imagined with the idea of how Indian thatha (grandfather in Tamil) would survive in today’s time. The first part was set in Tamil Nadu, but we now go beyond the state in ‘Indian 2’. The film has so many characters apart from Senapathy. It will be engaging and when the film ends, I’m sure it will make people think.”
Shankar then recalled ‘Indian’ (1996) and how hard Kamal Haasan worked in it. He said, “Back then, we made Kamal Haasan wear prosthetics for 40 days. In the sequel, he wore it for more than 70 days. When he came for the look test, I had goosebumps just like what I had when he came for ‘Indian’ look test.”
Kamal Haasan, on his part, said, “Not everyone gets the chance to do world cinema again. There are two filmmakers who created art in the same way – Alfred Hitchcock and Cecil B DeMille. Now, Shankar has done it and, through him, I am getting to do it. ”
He mentioned that Indian politics pushed them to come up with a sequel after almost 28 years. “I remember dubbing for ‘Indian’ and I asked Shankar about the sequel. We didn’t do it back then as we were too involved in the first part. Now, I am acting with a new generation of actors. It feels like yesterday that I shot scenes with Vivekh. He, along with Manobala and Nedumudi Venu should have been here to witness the success.”
Speaking about ‘Indian 3’, Kamal Haasan said, “Cinematographer Ravi Varman said ‘Even Shankar and Kamal Haasan can’t think about making a film like this again’. We have made one and that is ‘Indian 3’. But it needs a different stage.”
The official trailer of ‘Indian 2’ will be launched on June 25 at 7 pm.
Directed by Shankar, ‘Indian 2’ will release in theatres on July 12 in multiple languages. The film features Kamal Haasan, Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, SJ Suryah, Bobby Simha and Priya Bhavani Shankar, and others in pivotal roles.
Jointly produced by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies, ‘Indian 2’ has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, editing by Sreekar Prasad and cinematography by Ravi Varman.
