Sanjay Khanduri, the maverick director of Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, recently returned from Chile where he had gone (along with a few other industry people) on the invitation of the government there. After seeing the locations and the landscape in Chile, Khanduri is deciding to shoot his next film there — and that could be a sequel to his popular film!
You are planning a sequel to your EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL and this time, you are taking the chaos to Chile! What sparked this global leap?
– The original film was born from Bombay’s pulse — its local trains, its midnight madness. But the audience evolve and so should the stories. After the film got unexpected love in Latin America, especially Mexico, where it won multiple awards too, it felt natural to push boundaries when a part 2 was being thought of.
Why Chile over other locations?
– Iinitially, I loved Morocco’s mystique, but Chile stole my heart. The ProChile team (Chile’s international trade agency) hosted us, showing us some cities of the country, and the diversity was amazing! One day, you’re in Santiago, a metro-buzzing city surrounded by the snow-capped Andes, having amazing clubs and colonial architecture, and the next day, you’re in Atacama’s night roads, where the Milky Way in the sky feels close enough to touch. ProChile showed us all –coastal gems like Viña del Mar, which looks like Monte Carlo with slick beach cafes and casinos to Valparaíso’s port hill, packed with colourful houses. It’s a filmmaker’s dream. Not to forget, Chileans share a warmth and cultural resonance with Indians. Plus, Chileans, unlike white Europeans, bear a
resemblance to Indians — sharp features, black hair, warm smiles. It’s like Bombay’s spirit in a new skin.
EK CHALIS… was a sleeper hit. How did that happen?
– I believe, a good film floats on its own. It was made on a humble budget but it got a lot of love across all age groups by sheer word of mouth. Believe it or not but the film’s fan base is now more than 20 million and growing. People down South India have surprisingly loved the film a lot too and, of course, in Latin America, it found a lot of audience. That is why when I visited Chile, I decided to mount the film against Chile’s landscape and culture rather than doing it in Bombay again.
How would Chile fit into the sequel’s plot and will the second part still have its signature song, Kya hua jo laree chhooti?
– Imagine missing the last ride, not in Bombay but in a foreign land where you
don’t speak the language! The sequel’s protagonist will navigate Chilean quirks — tango bars, guns galore, cryptic slang, and yes, maybe a Latin beauty or two. It will still be a fast-paced dark comedy about misadventures, but amplified by cultural clashes. Latin America is a big market, and the Chilean youth adore Bollywood songs and choreography. I was surprised when some fans there sang Kya hua jo laree chhooti to us! I was told that when it was released, just that one song covered the cost of my film because the song became a hit in India and outside too. And after I saw Chileans sing the song, I am convinced, this must’ve happened.
The Chilean government is rolling out incentives for Bollywood. How crucial has that been in prompting you to shoot the sequel there?
– Immensely. ProChile has offered great tax rebates and location access. They even arranged meetings and interactions with media, arts and culture ministers, and set up connections with Chilean crews which work on Hollywood films. These production houses want to be India’s gateway to Latin America. Collaborating with their talents and technicians, who, incidentally, have worked on global hits, will blend Bollywood’s spice and colour with their gritty realism. Think Ek Chalis… meets Narcos with a dash of crazy Dhoom glam!
In these times of re-release of old films in cinemas, do you have plans to revive EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL?
– The love which the film has received is overwhelming. A re-release could possibly reintroduce Gen Z to Abhay Deol, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Neha Dhupia’s magic. My focus right now is to reload the script, with complete mayhem. Let me just say that Chile is calling, and we are racing to answer!
Who will the hero in the sequel be — Abhay Deol again or a younger actor?
– The script is being locked, and we will be taking a call on the casting after that.
And who will you cast as the leading lady?
– Maybe a Latina from Chile!
What could this sequel do in terms of the box-office?
– Box-office is important, no doubt, but equally important is the fact that the film would serve to create a bridge between Bollywood and Latin American cinema. It would bring two ends of the world together. Imagine, a day could come when Shah Rukh Khan on a dirt bike is being chased in Valparaíso’s graffiti-filled streets, or a Spanish star with a billion fans is giving a tough time to our very own Ranbir Kapoor in a taut action film based in India! South America is a colossal market which has still not been adequately tapped by Indian cinema. My film could just add South America as a key market for Indian films.
