As Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta starrer Vadh 2 continues to receive a great audience response, director Jaspal Singh Sandhu, in an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, talks about its box office performance. Sandhu also talks about whether he is looking forward to expanding the Vadh universe with Vadh 3. In this candid interview, he opens up about the franchise’s growth, audience connection, and what lies ahead.
1. Vadh 2 has recorded a nearly 100% jump on Day 3 at the box office, despite several big-ticket films running in theatres. How do you see this reinforcing the belief that content is king, especially in an era where films are succeeding without heavy promotional strategies?
I mean, it’s a clear fact that people are liking the film. That means good content is here to stay, and they are recommending the film to other audiences to watch. And I think this is how it should be—that if a good film is there and word of mouth is able to bring more audiences to the theatres, then even filmmakers gain a certain confidence. We are here to make good cinema, and if we make good cinema, it’s here to stay. I mean, making a thriller and setting some benchmarks with the cast—that not necessarily the hero can only be a 30-year-old, 35-year-old, or 25-year-old. I mean, anybody can be a hero in a given situation. If you’re able to make content like that, people are going to watch it.
2. The climax of Vadh 2 took me by surprise. How did you arrive at such an unpredictable climax, and what was the creative thought process behind structuring it this way?
The main theme has been knowingly kept a low-hanging fruit so that the second climax works like a charm…that was the purpose. I bounced a couple of ideas with Luv, and when this came up, we were happy about it…the intent of the first climax being a low-hanging fruit was to make the second climax work better, and it did.
3. The film tackles multiple sensitive themes—rape, honour killing, morality, and justice—yet never feels preachy or overly dramatic. How important was it for you to maintain this balance, and what was your approach to layering these messages organically within the narrative?
Yes, the film deals with very sensitive themes, but I never wanted the film to become preachy, and I did not want the audience to feel repulsive while watching it.
4. Given the strong audience response and growing franchise value, are there any discussions or ideas currently in place for Vadh 3?
Vadh 3? So Vadh 2 happened because we could write a very good story and then a good screenplay, a very tight screenplay that gave us confidence, and we are critics of our own work. So if, going forward, I am able to crack a story that can do justice to both 1 and 2, then why not 3? Content is king, so it’s not a pressure, but a responsibility. For me, if I am planning for the third one, the story should move everyone, the screenplay should move everyone, and the film should move everyone. So if we reach there, then why not?