Gopichand Malineni on Sunny Deol's Jaat 2: 'Was confident about the sequel'

The makers of Jaat have made an unexpected announcement: a sequel dubbed Jaat 2 will be released; it was revealed about one week after the original film's premiere. The action flick, which stars Sunny Deol and Saiyami Kher, has only made Rs 62 crore at the box office so far, but that hasn't stopped the decision-makers. Gopichand Malineni's film has sparked controversy due to a religious scene, but it hasn't stopped the creators from planning a sequel.

Gopichand Malineni's intentions and foreshadowing

Malineni spoke to Mid Day and said that he always planned to continue the story. The film's final scene sets the stage for the sequel. He said that he was confident that it would work well for them to make a second part while shooting Jaat.

The tremendous success of Gadar 2: The Katha Continues (2023) heralded Deol's comeback to the big screen, and with Jaat, he raised anticipation for yet another financial monster. On the other hand, the latest release hasn't precisely delivered as promised.

Censorship delays and impact on openings

When Malineni was asked if his vision for the film fell flat, he confessed openly that the censor clearance got delayed. The advance booking window, therefore, was only open for business one day prior to the release. The opening figures would have been higher if it had been released a couple of days sooner. He concluded that, however, it has only increased since then.

An earlier incident around a scene in a church only served to further tarnish the film's reputation. The scenario depicting thugs storming into a church and Randeep Hooda striking a crucifix-like position prompted Christian community members to call for a ban. An FIR was lodged in Punjab against Naveen Yerneni, Deol, Hooda, and Malineni as a result of the reaction.

Censor board's directives

The censor board instructed them to obscure the background in the feature print, but they didn't mention anything for the trailer cut, as Malineni indicated. They had already completed it before any objections surfaced. The key to a successful film is getting as many people to see it as possible. No filmmaker intends to do harm to any group or individual and they intend to amuse them.

In response to the criticism, the producers announced on Friday night that the contentious scene had been cut. The team's statement read, "There has been a backlash for a specific scene in the film. The scene has been removed with immediate effect. Our intention was not to hurt any religious sentiments. We deeply regret it and have taken quick action of deleting the scene from the film. We sincerely apologise to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt."

Gopichand Malineni's future plans

Malineni is already planning ahead, even though everything has settled down. In June, he will go on floors for a Telugu film, for which he is presently preparing. He intends to start working on Jaat 2 after that is finished.

He went on to say that his aspirations in Bollywood are far from ended and that the concept for the sequel is already set. The filmmaker dreams of collaborating with superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in a mass entertainment project, bringing to life his vision of them as heroes.