The Bharathanatyam franchise, helmed by Krishnadas Murali and headlined by Saiju Kurup, is set to continue with a third instalment titled Bharathanatyam 3 Rasaleela. The threequel was officially announced on Sunday in Kochi during the success meet of the sequel Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam, which released in theatres on April 10.
Veteran actors Saikumar and Kalaranjini unveiled the title of the upcoming film at the event. Following the announcement, the makers also unveiled a motion poster featuring franchise lead Saiju. The video hints at yet another tonal and genre shift from its predecessors, although the makers have not disclosed any plot details. The motion poster also confirms that Rasaleela is slated for release in 2028.
Director Krishnadas has exclusively confirmed to Cinema Express that the third instalment will once again move into a different genre space. However, he refrained from divulging further details about the film, adding that he and co-writer Vishnu R Pradeep are still in the process of scripting it and currently have only a broad story outline in place. Meanwhile, viewers interpreting the motion poster have speculated that Rasaleela could venture into horror-comedy territory.
The announcement comes on the back of the strong reception enjoyed by Mohiniyattam. The sequel, which marked Saiju's 150th film, emerged as one of the notable Malayalam commercial successes of the year, reportedly grossing around Rs 25 crores from the global box office, and also found appreciation following its digital premiere on Netflix.
The 2024 film Bharathanatyam, which primarily found its audience after its OTT release, revolved around a middle-class family grappling with the consequences of a deceased patriarch's secret second family, blending humour and family drama while commenting on religious beliefs and social perceptions.
In Mohiniyattam, Krishnadas expanded the story into a different territory, transforming the franchise into a dark comedy thriller centred on a temple scam and a desperate cover-up. Apart from Saiju, the sequel also saw Kalaranjini, Sreeja Ravi, Divya M Nair, Sruthy Suresh, Swathi Das Prabhu, Nandu Poduval and Abhiram Radhakrishnan reprising their roles, alongside new additions Suraj Venjaramoodu, Jagadish, Baby Jean and Vinay Forrt.
The makers have confirmed that the core family cast from the first two films will return for Rasaleela, although details regarding the rest of the ensemble are yet to be announced. The film will also see the return of the principal technical team behind Mohiniyattam, with cinematographer Bablu Aju, editor Shafeeque VB and composer Electronic Kili continuing their association with the franchise. Like its predecessors, Rasaleela is jointly produced by Thomas Thiruvalla Films and Saiju Kurup Entertainments, with Lini Mariam David and Anupama B Nambiar serving as the respective producers.
Meanwhile, as reported earlier, Krishnadas is also in discussions with Dileep for a separate project. The film is expected to be backed by Thudarum filmmaker Tharun Moorthy, marking his debut as a producer. Further details regarding the proposed collaboration are yet to be officially announced.
On the other hand, Saiju has several other projects lined up in various stages of production, including Aamir Pallikkal’s Prempaatta, Vishnu Ramachandran's Aaram, MA Nishad’s Lurk, Rajesh Nair K’s Harivarasanam and PS Arjun’s Saakshikal.