Opinion | A Lesson From Rajinikanth: Not Every Film Needs A Sequel

There were a lot of expectations from the recent Shankar directorial, Indian 2, starring Kamal Haasan. But sadly, box office numbers show that the film hasn't hit the mark with viewers. In four days, the movie, reportedly made on a budget of Rs 400 crore, has raked in just about Rs 114 crore worldwide and around Rs 62 crore in India. Critics and most of the audience criticised the film for its flimsy storyline and felt that the character of India thatha, a.k.a 'Senapathy' (Kamal Haasan), has lost his mojo. The film is a sequel to the 1996 superhit Indian. Many on social media raised a pertinent question - does it make sense to make a sequel to a film that was already a box office superhit?

When Indian came to theatres in 1996, it was a never-seen-before vigilante extravaganza, with extensive use of make-up, prosthetics, visual effects, historical footage and traditional martial arts like the varma kalai. Underneath all this was a very strong storyline of an honest, ageing veteran who went to the extent of killing his own son to uphold his principles. Director Shankar's film marked a significant chapter in Indian film history and went on to become a blockbuster, earning over Rs 65 crore at the box office. In fact, it was one of the earliest pan-Indian films to come from South India.

In recent years, we have seen numerous sequels being made for blockbuster Tamil films. Take, for instance, the 2005 horror comedy, Chandramukhi, directed by P. Vasu and starring Rajinikanth and Jyothika, which was made on a budget of Rs 19 crore and earned around Rs 75 crore at the box office. In 2023, actor Raghava Lawrence starred in the sequel - once again directed by P. Vasu - along with Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut. The movie was made on a budget of Rs 60 crore. It made just about Rs 40 crore and was declared a flop.