Kaithi 2 uncertainty grows as Karthi says he’s unaware of the film’s current status
Karthi, who was last seen in Meiyazhagan, is returning to cinemas with Nalan Kumarasamy's Vaa Vaathiyaar (Annagaru Vostaru in Telugu). However, fans are eagerly waiting for an update to the sequel of his hit 2019 film Kaithi, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. While Kaithi 2 has been in the discussion for several months now, an official update regarding its production status is awaited. Ahead of Vaa Vaathiyaar's release, the actor was probed on an update regarding the film, to which he reportedly said, "I don't know..." This has disappointed fans and audiences who were keen on the film taking shape since it was announced soon after the release of the first film. After significant delay, the actor teased "Dilli will return soon" last year during the fifth anniversary of the film.
The first instalment in Lokesh Cinematic Universe, Kaithi revolves around Dilli, a recently released prisoner races against time to drive poisoned cops to a hospital while evading criminals in exchange for meeting his daughter Amudha. Karthi provides a voiceover towards the end of Kamal Haasan's Vikram (2022) which is the second LCU film.
During the time, Karthi said the film would go on floors after the completion of Vijay's Leo (2023) which unfortunately didn't take place. Many reports also revealed that the film might begin after Rajinikanth's Coolie, which released in August this year. But there have been no updates since then. Actor Narain, who plays a key role as Inspector Bejoy, said during the time that works for it would start in January or February 2026.
Meanwhile the noted filmmaker has begun pre-production works for his seventh film which many fans predicted would be Kaithi 2, while a social media was flooded with speculations about Lokesh making his debut in the Telugu industry with the upcoming film. With Karthi confirming that he is not aware of the film's status, it has been ruled out that Lokesh's new film is not Kaithi 2.
On the other hand, the director also has a film for Aamir Khan, which was confirmed by the actor in a recent conversation. While Aamir revealed that the film will be a superhero project, it wouldn't be the first time that he will be collaborating with Lokesh. He earlier made a cameo appearance in Coolie, playing as Dahaa, a gangster. Lokesh was also earlier linked to making the untitled much-awaited Thalaivar 173 project starring Rajinikanth and produced by Kamal Haasan, but he stepped away from it.
Kaithi also starred Arjun Das, George Maryan, Harish Uthaman, Dheena, Baby Monica, Ramana, Amjath, Kanna Ravi, Hareesh Peradi, and Arun Alexander among others. The film kickstarted the LCU, leading to further films like Vikram and Leo. Coolie, however, was not part of it. Another LCU film Benz is being made by Bakkiyaraj Kannan, starring Raghava Lawrence and Nivin Pauly which is awaiting a release date. Lokesh is backing the film under his G Squad banner.
