Neeraj Pandey’s heist thriller film, Special 26, which released in 2013, opened to raving reviews and has achieved a cult status over the years. It was remade in Tamil titled Thaanaa Serndha Koottam (2018) starring Suriya and Keerthy Suresh. For years now, reports about a sequel to Special 26 have been doing the rounds. In 2018, Pandey confirmed that it was in the works and a few tentative titles were also registered. As the film celebrated a decade of its release in February this year, its lead actors, Anupam Kher and Akshay Kumar, had an exchange on X about the sequel where Kumar stated, “I’m ready if the script is ready. Asli power script mein hoti hai :)”
Now in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Kher reacts to reports around Special 26 sequel and says, “This is one of the questions I’ve been wanting to ask Neeraj for so many years. Every time he’s asked about it, he turns around and hides his face (laughs).”
He further reveals that he has been asking Pandey to helm a sequel for the longest time. “I’ve been after him to make a sequel to Special 26. He keeps making multiple seasons of his web shows and he should make a second part of Special 26 too because it deserves a sequel. But it seems like he isn’t excited to make it (laughs). Hopefully, it will happen soon,” he tells us. As an afterthought, he adds, “It will happen in time.”
Kher and Pandey’s association dates back to 2008 when the duo had first collaborated on the critically acclaimed film, A Wednesday. Over the years, they worked together on films like Baby (2015), MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and Aiyaary (2018), among many others. For Kher, it’s always an ‘instant yes’ whenever he’s approached for a project by Pandey.
“Sometimes he doesn’t call me to be a part of his projects and in those cases, I’m not in the position to say a yes or a no. And then there are times when he clearly tells me that he won’t cast me (laughs). I’ve worked with (Mahesh) Bhatt saab on many films. The same goes for Yash Chopra because the experience on and off-screen was enriching. I’ve worked with Subhash Ghai saab on four films. In the process of making a film, a friendship gets built and when you share a relationship with someone, you get used to them and you would want to keep working with them,” explains Kher, who recently worked on Pandey’s web series, The Freelancer.
The 68-year-old further continues, “Since you’re greedy about collaborating with a certain director, you give your hundred percent to them both as a person and as an actor. So, yes, I’ll always say a yes to Neeraj even before he says that I would fit a character in his story because I’ve faith in him.”
But the Uunchai (2022) and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) actor is quick to add that though he holds his professional friendships very close to his heart, he would never simply work with a friend who doesn’t have a credible body of work. “Having said that, irrespective of the personal equations and friendships that I’ve made in the film industry, I won’t ask anyone for work if they aren’t good at it. Main khaane khaane chala jaaunga unke ghar pe par kaam kabhi nahi maangunga,” he says with his signature candour.
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