Hollywood’s biggest studios thrive on franchises, with sequels and prequels regularly drawing audiences. Bollywood too has embraced the trend to some extent. But in Dhallywood, the culture of follow-ups is still struggling to take shape.
Dhaka Attack was the first film in Bangladesh to officially announce a sequel, yet the project was never made. Later, the same production house delivered ‘Mission Extreme’ and ‘Mission Extreme 2’.
Since then, several sequels have been announced, including Raihan Rafi’s ‘Toofan 2’, two more instalments of ‘Taandob’ and Sanjay Samaddar’s ‘Insaaf 2’.
The question remains: will the promise of these films ever move beyond announcements?
Raihan Rafi’s Toofan was released on June 17 last year and its sequel was announced immediately after, with promises that its stars, Shakib Khan, Mimi Chakraborty and Chanchal Chowdhury, would return, alongside more A-Listers from Kolkata.
Rafi’s Taandob premiered this Eid-ul-Azha. At the end of the film, “Taandob 2 Loading” flashed on screen. The director has said he plans to build a universe around Taandob, like Hollywood and Bollywood models, and hinted at a possible crossover with Toofan.
Currently shooting his horror-thriller ‘Andhar’ with Siam Ahmed, Rafi told Times of Bangladesh, “We will make sequels to both films. Since a sequel must surpass the success of the previous instalment, we’re taking time to get the scripts right. Very soon we’ll announce whether Toofan 2 or Taandob 2 will go into production first.”
Meanwhile, Insaaf 2 was teased at the end of the first film. Alongside leads Shariful Raj and Farin, Mosharraf Karim and Chanchal Chowdhury are expected to have more prominent roles in the second instalment.
Regarding this, the producer said, “We want to make the sequel on a larger scale. The script is being developed and the story expanded. Everyone from the first film will return and we plan to bring in more names. A formal announcement will follow.”
There is also industry buzz around possible sequels to ‘Borbaad’ and ‘Chokkor 302’. But Borbaad’s producers have dismissed the idea, noting that its three central characters, played by Shakib Khan, Idhika Pal and Misha Saudagar, die in the story.
“If not a sequel, a prequel could be possible,” the company said, “but there are no such plans for now.”
As for Chokkor 302, director Sharaf Ahmed Jibon recently admitted that while no sequel was planned initially, discussions are underway.
“There is a possibility of a sequel, though I can’t say when it might happen,” the director told TIMES.
For now, Dhallywood sequels remain more of a promise than a reality; with audiences left waiting to see which, if any, will reach the screens.
