Sequels have quickly become the order of the day in Indian cinema. What was originally started as standalone movies is now being converted into multi-part franchises, influenced by the need for longer storytelling and the attractiveness of bigger box office collections. As audiences are increasingly emotionally invested in characters and cinematic universes, producers and filmmakers can’t wait to catch the sequel wave. All the same, the fate of a sequel remains dependent on the success of the initial one—if the original bombs, sequels never get made.
In the midst of this trend is one actor who has established himself as a player in the sequel business: Tamil superstar Karthi. Posing a strong fan base across Tamil Nadu and the Telugu-speaking states, Karthi has been able to transcend language differences. His choice to voice his own voice in Telugu movies and engage with people actively has won him a good fan base in Tollywood too. Working on several projects at present, the actor is paying equal attention to completing them effectively without compromising on quality.
Interestingly, Karthi has more sequels in the pipeline than most Indian actors currently. Besides filming ‘Sardar 2’, a sequel to his hit spy thriller Sardar, he has also committed to ‘Kaithi 2’, the highly anticipated sequel to the Kaithi blockbuster by Lokesh Kanagaraj.
Adding to the excitement, there’s buzz around sequels to Karthi’s earlier hits like ‘Khakee’. While there were initial talks of a sequel to ‘Kanguva’, the film’s poor performance at the box office may have shelved those plans for now. However, fans were thrilled to spot Karthi in the climax of ‘Hit 3’, which unofficially hints that he will take the lead in ‘Hit 4’, further cementing his role in the growing Hit universe.
With so many of his films having sequels to their credit, it is obvious Karthi is turning into a franchise actor in Bollywood. His ability to select fine scripts and play them out well has made him the first choice for continuing popular franchises. With the sequel phenomenon giving no indications of slowing down, Karthi is right in the center—not just acting in hit films, but creating film worlds people cannot wait to go back to.