2.0, Thani Oruvan 2, Indian 2: Tamil filmmakers, producers fight over title rights to sequels

All over the world, sequels are considered to be the best way to mint huge money at the box office. As the original version of the film has a huge fan following, an excellent opening is guaranteed so, big stars and filmmakers are also readily giving the green signal to such projects. In Tamil cinema, the sequel trend started way back in 1985 with Kamal Haasan’s Japanil Kalyanaraman but the humongous success of Suriya’s Singam II and Raghava Lawrence’s Kanchana 2 only reinvented the habit of making sequels.

If the producers initiate the sequel idea, they don’t mind retaining the title because they own the rights but in some cases, the director and hero of the original hit version don’t prefer to work with the same producer for various reasons. 

For example, when Shankar opted for Endhiran sequel, he only approached Lyca Productions. Sun Pictures, producers of Endhiran didn’t give away the title rights to Shankar and Lyca Productions so they have used an alternative title 2.0. Though Shankar and Lyca tried to buy the rights from Sun Pictures, the price quoted by the production was exorbitant.

Sun Pictures also quoted a massive price to Prince Pictures who made Singam II. On the other hand, Studio Green preferred to name the third part of Singam as Si III and didn’t pay Sun Pictures.

For Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam, the title problem didn’t arise as he himself produced the original version. Recently, director Mohan Raja announced that his next film is Thani Oruvan sequel with his younger brother ‘Jayam’ Ravi but the huge hurdle for the brothers is that they have to get permission from AGS Productions.

Reliable sources say that AGS Productions are unhappy with Mohan Raja and ‘Jayam’ Ravi as the duo haven’t pitched the sequel idea to them. Knowing the inception of the Thani Oruvan sequel, AGS Productions is planning to start a new film Thani Oruvan 2 so, Mohan Raja has no other options but to hold talks with the production house or he should opt for another title. 

“Just like how AGS recently produced Thiruttu Payale 2, the sequel to their 2006 film, they also have plans for Thani Oruvan 2," says a source close to the production house. 

Following Endhiran sequel, director Shankar is currently busy shooting for the pre-production work of Indian sequel. Sources say that AM Ratnam, the original producer of Indian, should give necessary permission to Shankar and Lyca Productions. Only after procuring the title rights, Shankar can use the title Indian 2.

While most of the producers are not ready to give away the title to the filmmakers who are teaming up with other production houses, Michael Rayappan generously gave permission to director Samuthirakani for using the title, Nadodigal 2. In case of Chennai 600028 II innings, SP Charan is a close friend of Venkat Prabhu so reusing the title wasn’t a big issue. As Suresh Balajee, son of K Balajee (producer of Rajinikanth’s Billa), is one of the producers of Billa 2, obtaining permission was quite easy for the team.

Vishal’s Sandakozhi 2 is the next big Tamil release among the huge list of sequels which are being made in Tamil cinema but as his dad produced the original version, he didn’t object to his son for reusing the title.

In Tamil cinema, the title of any film only belongs to the producer and only they can use it to create a franchise. For example, Elred Kumar, who produced KV Anand’s blockbuster film Ko, remade the Telugu film Prathinidhi as Ko 2 in Tamil to lure audiences to theaters. Unfortunately, Ko 2 was a commercial disaster.

CV Kumar, a well known Tamil film producer who is known for his out-of-the-box-office attempts like Pizza, Soodhu Kavvum, and Iraivi, also followed a similar strategy. Kumar made a horror thriller directed by newcomer Deepan Chakravarthy and named the film as Pizza II: The Villa but it was a colossal flop. The reason for the failure of these sequels is mainly because audiences are very clever and they are aware of the popular proverb ‘All that glitters is not gold.’