Kamal Ghorui
Filmmaker Priyadarshan is gearing up for his next directorial venture, Bhooth Bangla, starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role. The teaser of the film was recently unveiled on social media, giving fans a glimpse of its spooky setting.While promoting the film, the veteran director opened up about the growing trend of franchises in Indian cinema. Interestingly, even though he is set to direct the third instalment of the popular comedy franchise Hera Pheri, Priyadarshan admitted that he is not particularly fond of making sequels to his own films.
‘I don’t like to do sequels of my own films’
In an interview with Variety India, Priyadarshan spoke candidly about his hesitation when it comes to sequels.“I don’t like to do sequels of my own films because I know how much I suffered to make the original,” the director said.He further explained that the pressure around a sequel’s box office performance makes him uneasy. According to him, if a sequel works well commercially, it creates an expectation that the next film will also perform at the same level.
‘Sometimes only the title is carried forward’
Talking about how franchises work internationally, Priyadarshan cited the example of the Terminator series. According to him, certain Hollywood franchises maintain continuity in their storytelling.However, he believes that in some cases, only the title of the film is carried forward while the core story or spirit of the original film is missing.
‘It’s a kind of exploitation of the first film’
The director also shared his thoughts on how sequels often benefit from the popularity of the original film during their initial box office run.“By that time the producer feels that I have made my money. So it’s a kind of exploitation. I rather say it’s a kind of extortion of the first film,” Priyadarshan said.He added that the goodwill of the first film usually helps sequels attract audiences during the first few days in theatres, but collections often drop afterwards.
Bhooth Bangla release and cast
Apart from Akshay Kumar, Bhooth Bangla also features a strong ensemble cast including Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Wamiqa Gabbi, Mithila Palkar and the late Asrani.The film is scheduled to hit theatres on April 10, 2026.
