C Prem Kumar dismisses '96 sequel rumour with Pradeep Ranganathan

C Prem Kumar, the director of acclaimed films such as '96 and Meiyazhagan, took to Instagram the other day to address a rumour about him approaching Love Today and Dragon star Pradeep Ranganathan for a sequel to the director's 2018 film, featuring Trisha and Vijay Sethupathi. Sharing an image stating that Prem Kumar has approached Pradeep for '96 sequel, the director wrote, "This is a fake news as usual." The filmmaker clarified that if he were to make a second part to '96, it would bring back the original cast.

The clarification comes amid speculation about Vijay Sethupathi expressing his disinterest in playing his role as Ram from '96 in a second film. The filmmaker confirmed that he approached Pradeep but for a different project. "Day by day dealing with these harmful fake news is getting increasingly difficult. I again reach out to the ethical press and media to establish the truth," the filmmaker wrote. Notably, the film already has a Telugu remake titled Jaanu, starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Sharwanand.

Recently, Prem Kumar visited Kerala for the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters and addressed the prospect of a Malayalam adaptation of '96. He said, "I'm not sure if there are apt actors in that age group here in Malayalam right now," before adding, "If it were in the 90s, I would surely have done it with Lalettan (Mohanlal) and Shobana ma'am, who would have made a great combination."