'Indian 2': Why Shankar picked Anirudh over AR Rahman
What's the story
After a long wait, the sequel to the 1996 smash hit Indian is set to roar into theaters on July 12, which reunites the dream team of director Shankar and Kamal Haasan.
While several cast members reprise their roles, one key absence has sparked curiosity: Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, who created the iconic music for the original film.
Director Shankar recently explained his decision to bring in Anirudh Ravichander for the sequel's score.
Crucial decision
'AR Rahman was already working on the BGM of 2.0...'
During a media interaction, Shankar addressed the social media chatter about Rahman possibly being a better choice than Ravichander for Indian 2.
He stated, "When we started work on Indian 2, AR Rahman was already working on the BGM of 2.0 and I needed the songs soon. I didn't want to overburden him with Indian 2 and I also liked Anirudh's music."
"His music was really popular and I thought why not sign him on."
Information
'Indian' soundtrack was a major success
The soundtrack album of Indian—composed by Rahman—featured five tracks Hindi tracks including Telephone Dhoon Me, Latka Dikha Diya Humne, (Hindi) among others. The Tamil also soundtrack achieved significant success, selling approximately 600,000 records shortly after its release. The Hindi version, Hindustani, further sold 1.8M units, totaling sales of at least 2.4M units across both versions.
Multitasking mastery
How Shankar managed multiple pan-Indian films simultaneously
Meanwhile, Indian 2 actor Siddharth posed one of the most intriguing questions to Shankar.
He asked how the director managed to work on not just one or two, but three pan-Indian films simultaneously—Indian 2, 3, and Game Changer.
Responding to this, the director credited the COVID-19 pandemic for providing him with more time than anticipated.
"I sat down and finished the scripts for Indian 2 and 3...All we needed to do was go on set with a camera and shoot."
CBFC approval
'Indian 2' earned positive feedback from CBFC
In another stance, Haasan shared that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had given a positive response to Indian 2.
This is significant as Haasan noted, "The CBFC usually does not like any film, but if they liked Indian 2 then it's a good sign."
The film—produced by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies—features the 69-year-old actor returning to his role as Senapathy or Indian Thatha.