'Kantara will be a franchise,' says Vijay Kiragandur - Rishab Shetty's films to go beyond Kantara 2?

Hombale Films' head honcho Vijay Kiragandur recently confirmed that Kantara, much like KGF, will be a franchise. During an interview with a major Hindi newspaper, Kirangandur spoke at length about Hombale's upcoming mega ventures, their much-anticipated Hindi debut and, of course, Kantara. 

Speaking about the Rishab Shetty film, the producer said that Hombale Films is, quite certainly, envisioning Kantara as a major franchise that is expected to dish out blockbusters, much like Prashanth Neel's KGF series.

"Yes, we are in talks with Rishab right now. But quite definitely, Kantara will take the form of a franchise. Our discussions are currently in the final stage and we will be making a formal announcement soon," said Vijay Kiragandur in the same interview.

Now, the franchise term withholds a lot of possibilities. Although both Rishab and Hombale Films are yet to officially confirm Kantara 2, the much sought-after sequel/prequel project, speculations are rife all over that the 'Divine' collaboration is back on the cards with the former currently developing the next instalment. However, with Kiragandur now confirming that Kantara will take the shape of a franchise, could that mean that there are multiple parts in store? In other words, could there be a Kantara 3, too, on the horizon?

Well, while it isn't certainly wise to read too much into the 'franchise' comment, one can't discount the possibility of Kantara being a multi-part film series. Although the concluding moments of KGF 2 implied that the Rocky Bhai saga has reached its grand pinnacle, the film's post-credits teased KGF 3 and left all the viewers gasping. And going by Vijay Kiragandur's own recent statement about KGF having the potential of a James Bond-like series, Rocky Bhai is slated to return sooner or later.

During an interaction with a media outlet, Kiragandur divulged that KGF 3, in all likeliness, will not go on floors until 2025 and should the franchise expand further and beyond KGF 5, Rocking Star Yash could be replaced by another actor to lend the James Bond-esque edge to the series.