Anurag Basu: I wish I were rich enough to make Jagga Jasoos sequel with my money

Director Anurag Basu says that cast member Nawazuddin Siddiqui knows about his intention and likes the idea. But he adds that unlike in the West, Bollywood has never made a sequel to a film that wasn’t a hit.

Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Basu has the sequel to this year’s release Jagga Jasoos, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, almost ready. However, he says that it takes a lot of courage to make a sequel to a film that hasn’t done well at the box office. As he speaks, the undertone of sadness in his voice is unmissable.

Filmmaker Anurag Basu says that he has 60 per cent of the Jagga Jasoos sequel ready, and he thinks Ranbir Kapoor would come on board if the sequel got made.

“I have 60 per cent of the [sequel] story ready. Nawazuddin [Siddiqui] also knows about it and would love to be a part of it,” says Anurag. Nawazuddin played the villain in Jagga Jasoos.

Anurag adds, “But [producer] Disney needs to take a call if they want to make the film. A lot of courage and conviction is required on the part of the director and the producer to make a sequel to a film that hasn’t done well. It has never happened in India, though such instances aren’t new in the West.”

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kapoor in a still from Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos.

Jagga Jasoos, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, and Saswata Chatterjee, released in July this year. Anurag sounds hopeful about the possibility of a sequel and says that he’s keen to get a backer. “I wish I were rich enough to make the sequel with all my money, but I can’t,” he says, adding that despite the film not achieving commercial success, Ranbir is proud to be in it.

“We knew the film would receive extreme reactions, but I never thought that it wouldn’t do well, and I was sad after the first week. But Ranbir was always proud of the product and happy with what we made. He had been positive all throughout. Though I’ve never spoken to him about the sequel, I’m sure he won’t say no if at all it’s made,” says Anurag, who made the acclaimed film Barfi! (2012) with Ranbir.

Ranbir’s father, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, slammed Anurag Basu for delaying Jagga Jasoos and even called him an ‘irresponsible director’.

After the failure of the film, Ranbir’s father, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, slammed Anurag and called him an ‘irresponsible director’. Asked about it, he says, “This [reaction] might be a shock for people outside, but not for me, as we all know the truth internally. At the same time, I can understand his emotion. Also, Ranbir has already spoken about it, so I have not much to say. We both know each other well, and what’s more important is that we’ll be doing the next film together.” The film he is talking about is the highly anticipated Kishore Kumar biopic.

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