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Did Atlee reject director Shankar’s idea of creating a cinematic universe with Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan?
As Indian 2 gears up for its grand release on July 12, director Shankar confessed his plans to create a cinematic universe and why it never came into existence. Keep reading!
Shankar Shanmugam, better known as Shankar is undeniably one of the most influential directors in India. The term Pan-Indian has now become a thing of commonality but Shankar achieved this phenomenon nearly 30 years ago with films like Mudhalvan, Sivaji, and Indian.
If balancing social commentary and mass appeal was an art, Shankar was the master of it. The visionary director was always a step ahead of his contemporaries and his latest interviews are proof of the same.
What did Shankar have in mind for his cinematic universe?
During a promotional interview for his upcoming film Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan, the interviewer asked him if he ever had an idea of a cinematic universe featuring some of his iconic characters.
To which, Shankar replied that during the filming of Robot (Enthiran), he had an idea of a cinematic universe. He shared, “Actually in 2008, when I was filming for Robot, I had an idea which involved Hindustani (Indian), one-day chief minister (Nayak/Mudhalvan), and Sivaji.”
Shankar then revealed how this thought excited him so much that he immediately dialed up his assistant directors. The filmmaker revealed, “I told them the idea and they just stared at me. They thought I was mad for saying this. They gave me a look. I did not get encouragement, so I thought it was not a good idea.”
What does Atlee have to do with rejecting the Shankar cinematic universe?
For the unaware, the now-sensational Jawan director Atlee was once an assistant director for Shankar’s films. Coincidentally, Atlee worked with Shankar on Enthiran and Nanban. It is highly likely that Atlee was also part of that call where Shankar narrated the story of these three characters in one universe.
What do you think about the idea of a Shankar cinematic universe? Keeping in mind that all of the central characters in the above-mentioned films fight for social justice by bending the law, would it make for an interesting narrative?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Shankar and Kamal Haasan are awaiting the release of Indian 2
Cinematic universe or not, Shankar is back with Indian 2, and this time, it looks like Senapathy has a bigger problem to solve. The film is hitting the big screens on July 12 in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada.
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