Aanand L Rai has ruled out a recast Tanu Weds Manu 3: any future instalment of the romantic-comedy franchise will be made only with its original leads, R Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut.
“Tanu Weds Manu won’t be possible without Madhavan. So, whenever you will see any Tanu Weds Manu, whether three or four or five, it will be with Madhavan and Kangana,” Rai told PTI.
The remark, made on the sidelines of the Jagran Film Festival, ends speculation that a third film was being planned with a fresh cast and an independent storyline.
The pair is the franchise
Rai directed the original Tanu Weds Manu in 2011 and the sequel in 2015; both were commercial hits. The first film’s story centred on an NRI who falls for the match arranged by his parents even as the woman’s heart is set on another man. For a franchise built on that pairing and its friction, a new cast would have changed the property’s core promise.
For an audience that tracks sequel decisions closely, Rai’s comment is less about casting than about continuity. Hindi sequels often live or die on recognition: the same lead pair, the same texture and the same comic rhythm. Removing the leads would not modernise Tanu Weds Manu; it would unbundle it from what made the first two films work.
Story over scale
The director also pushed back on the idea that a film’s budget decides its ambition. “I’m a slave to the stories,” he said, adding that the first audience is himself. A story can be told on Rs 10 crore or Rs 500 crore, he argued, so he does not judge the size of a project before deciding to make it.
Asked whether the industry follows trends too readily, Rai called it a human reaction but advised makers to know their strengths. “You should know what your plus is,” he said, explaining that repeating yourself is not desirable, yet working within a world you know can allow discovery. Rai is known for popularising small-town and middle-class stories in films such as Raanjhanaa and Atrangi Re, so the argument is a defence of the material he has built his cinema on.
- Any future Tanu Weds Manu film will retain Madhavan and Kangana.
- The 2011 original and 2015 sequel were both commercial hits.
- Rai’s production Nakhrewaalii arrives in cinemas on October 30.
A new production with newcomers
Nakhrewaalii, directed by Rahul Shanklya, stars newcomers Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava. Rai said he was impressed by their confidence on set, calling them “big stars” and noting they were more self-assured than he was while directing his first film.
Duggal said the association brings visibility because of Rai’s stature, while Srivastava said working with the filmmaker taught her that there was no hierarchy on set and that she had the freedom to become the character.
Source: The Times of India
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