The highly anticipated Indian 2 starring Kamal Haasan and directed by Shankar released in cinemas last year as the sequel to the 1996 hit Indian. Despite huge pre-release hype, the movie was a box office disaster. The movie received intense criticism, was trolled on social media, and landed producers and buyers heavy financial losses owing to its budget.
Surprisingly, Indian 2 was initially intended to be a single movie. Shankar separated it into two films due to the long running time. The second part ended with a teaser for Indian 3, leaving fans expecting the tale to unfold on an even larger scale. But since then, the sequel has been plagued with doubt.
There was even a buzz at one time that Indian 3 could go straight to an OTT platform and bypass the theatres. Shankar subsequently clarified that the film was meant for the big screen. Subsequently, reports stated Lyca Productions had pulled out, putting the project on the backburner since some parts were still pending. Subsequently, gossip in the industry indicated Red Giant Productions could come in with Lyca to revive the movie and keep hopes alive.
Now, new reports have again raised doubts over Indian 3. Industry sources confirm that both Lyca Productions and Netflix, which was rumoured to be the streaming partner, have walked out of the project. To add to the woes, Kamal Haasan is committed to several big projects, and Shankar too working other film, raising doubts about the future of the film.
With all these setbacks accumulating, speculation is high that Indian 3 will not be coming. Most cine-goers feel putting the project on hold could be the appropriate move given the lackluster performance of Indian 2. For now, all the fans can do is wait and see if this ambitious sequel gets the green light again or turns into a put-on-hold dream.