17 May 2022
Hyderabad
Released amid sky-high expectations last December, Pushpa, spearheaded by Allu Arjun, not only met the expectations of fans and general audience alike here in Telugu states but also found enormous love from the Hindi heartland as well, making over Rs 100 crore there with very little marketing. Neighboring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh too showered the film with love. So no wonder there is excitement surrounding when Pushpa 2 goes in front of the cameras! While some earlier reports indicated that the makers were looking at May to start it, there has been no sign of it until now. idlebrain, however, has reliably learnt from trusted sources that the makers are targeting to take it to floors from July.
A source close to the production house confirms to us, “While the story of Pushpa: The Rule is in place, Sukumar will be sitting down with his writing team again to nail the perfect screenplay. He has recharged his batteries by taking a short trip to the US with his family sometime back, and is now raring to go. Most of the second part too will be shot in Maredumilli forest, East Godavari. As far as the casting goes, chances of Sukumar taking some Bollywood names are slim. The team has delivered a super hit in Hindi by having some familiar names from south industry and they want to stick to it.”
The source adds, “The unit is looking to complete shooting by January next year and allot at least four months for post-production activities. The post-production on the first part was hurried due to the release deadline and they don’t want to repeat the same error again. The scale of the second part will be a notch higher, obviously. The first part was made on a budget of Rs 194 crore, while the producers are looking at investing Rs 400 crore on the second part. At the same time, Mythri Movie Makers are keen on reserving the Hindi dubbing rights with themselves this time around.”
Set in the backdrop of red sanders smuggling in the Seshachalam Hills of Andhra Pradesh, Pushpa: The Rule, as the name indicates, will see Pushpa’s reign as he encounters familiar names who try to block his rapid ascent. Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Sunil and Anasuya will be reprising their parts once again.
-NAGARAJ GOUD
