Chandoo Mondeti: Karthikeya 2 can be seen as a standalone film

Director Chandoo Mondeti is ready with his sequel to his 2014 super hit Karthikeya. Titled Karthikeya 2, the film has Nikhil Siddharth reprising his role, while Anupama Parameswaran will be seen as his leading lady. The film is a mix of myth, fiction, and adventure. "Since childhood, I have been fascinated with the epics -- Ramayanam and Mahabharatham and everything associated with our culture and history has always excited me. I have taken the essence of Sri Krishna Tatvam (Lord Sri Krishna's philosophy) and developed the story of Karthikeya 2. To me, God is a discipline and our belief and faith are bondage of senses. Lord Krishna is the master of infinite power and the film explores the legend of Dwaraka with a contemporary undertone and adequate dose of adventure," says Chandoo.

Admittedly, Karthikeya 2 picks up from where its prequel has left and also has characters that overlap, but Chandoo asserts that the two parts are different from each other. "Karthikeya 2 has the scale and an engrossing story that keeps the audience hooked to the narrative till its end credits. It doesn't make any difference if you haven't watched Karthikeya because every little detail in the first part has been explained here. Except for Colour Swathi's character, which has no relevance in the second part, all the old characters will more or less make an appearance along with the new ones," explains the Savyasaachi director.

The film also marks the comeback of actor Anupam Kher to Telugu cinema after three decades. "Casting Anupam Kher is done completely based on the demands of the script. As Karthikeya 2 is set in Himachal Pradesh, we wanted to have someone who has their family roots in Himachal Pradesh and has signed on Anupam Kher (who originally hails from Shimla)," says Chandoo.

So, can we expect Karthikeya 3? "Why not? I want to tell many stories of Karthikeya and want to make it into a franchise! At the moment, I am looking forward to the film's release (on Aug 13) and eager to see how well the audience receives it," signs off Chandoo, who is committed to working on a film each with Geetha Arts and Nagarjuna Akkineni.