Lokesh Kanagaraj's Vikram arrived as a stunning surprise for those who had assumed that Kamal Haasan's illustrious era had drawn to a close. Not only did Aandavar (god), as his fans affectionately call him, staged a remarkable comeback, but he also effectively showcased that his days of glory are far from being in the past. In addition to igniting theatres and providing cinephiles with a lavish cinematic encounter, Vikram also energised Kamal's followers, intensifying their eagerness for the upcoming release of director S Shankar's highly anticipated project Indian 2, a sequel to the filmmaker's 1996 vigilante action movie Indian, which earned Kamal his fourth National Film Award. #INDIAN2 pic.twitter.com/rhStm6ISLD — Shankar Shanmugham (@shankarshanmugh) August 15, 2023 Meanwhile, on the occasion of Independence Day on Tuesday, director Shankar unveiled another still from the movie that showcases Kamal in an entirely unrecognisable avatar. The fresh image portrays Senapathy aka Indian (Kamal) donning a khaki outfit as he stands adjacent to a platform and rests against it. The background is adorned with a cluster of tricoloured balloons, and he can be seen proudly wearing a tricoloured badge on his chest. With a resolute gaze focused in one direction, Senapathy conveys that he is embarking on yet another mission. In June, Kamal had gifted a high-end watch to Shankar as a token of appreciation, having been greatly impressed by a few scenes from Indian 2 that he watched. "I watched a few important scenes from Indian 2 today. My best wishes to Shankar. My advice is that this shouldn’t be your peak. Because this is really the highest point in your career. Do not consider this as your best and be proud and seek many new heights. (sic)," Kamal noted on Twitter. My heart is filled with gratitude and joy sir.I will never stop giving it my best! And needless to say, your performance and presence brought an essential essence to the film. Thank you for the token to commemorate this very special moment. I will cherish this feeling 🙏… — Shankar Shanmugham (@shankarshanmugh) June 28, 2023 "My heart is filled with gratitude and joy sir. I will never stop giving it my best! And needless to say, your performance and presence brought an essential essence to the film. Thank you for the token to commemorate this very special moment. I will cherish this feeling 🙏," Shankar wrote in response. Scripted by Shankar himself, Indian 2's dialogues have been penned by B Jeyamohan, Kabilan Vairamuthu and Lakshmi Saravanakumar. Bankrolled jointly by Subaskaran Allirajah and Udhayanidhi Stalin under the banners of Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies respectively, Indian 2 stars Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Kalidas Jayaram and Gulshan Grover in key roles, apart from Kamal Haasan. Earlier, heaping praise on Indian 2, actor Siddharth had said: “I’m excited to see myself in this film working again with director Shankar, who launched me in Indian cinema. The reason I did this film is not because of what happens after the release of the film, but the fact that I could work with such stalwarts. I can’t talk about the role but the film is a blessing and I am happy.”
