17 May,2024 05:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Upala KBR
A still from Nayak
Can an honest man change the governance system? Director S Shankar explored that idea with his debut Hindi film, Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), led by Anil Kapoor. Over 23 years on, the political thriller is set to have a sequel. Deepak Mukut, who previously produced Dhaakad (2022) and Thank God (2022), has bought the rights - including that of intellectual property, adaptation, and copyright of prequel and sequel - of the 2001 film from its producer AM Rathnam. Work on the sequel's script is underway.
Rani Mukerji
A remake of Tamil movie Mudhalvan (1999), Nayak told the story of Kapoor's TV presenter character Shivaji, who is challenged by the state's chief minister - essayed by the late Amrish Puri - to take over his job for a day. Shivaji, in his short term, gains tremendous popularity as he brings about much-needed changes and takes a hard stand against corruption. The film ended with the protagonist being elected as the chief minister and the state developing under his governance. So, what will Nayak 2 revolve around? A source tells us that the second instalment will take off where the first part ended. "The film will examine what happens to Shivaji and his family after he has been in power. It will again explore themes of corruption, bureaucracy, and above all, the power of people."
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Producer Mukut confirms the project's development, and says that the team hopes to make an announcement soon. The script is being penned in such a way that Kapoor and Rani Mukerji are expected to reprise their roles, while other actors will be brought in to essay principal characters. "We are planning the sequel, and taking the story forward with the [existing] characters. I bought the rights a long time ago from producer AM Rathnam. We are writing the script right now with the leads in mind and [incorporating] other actors too. As soon as the writing is complete, we'll decide the way ahead. We have a couple of directors in mind, but nobody has been finalised," he shares.
Mukut has initiated discussions with Kapoor and Mukerji, but they are in the nascent stage. "We're in talks with some actors. As far as introducing actors [into the film's universe] is concerned, it depends on how the characters shape up and who will suit them."
