The writer-director on how an unplanned idea turned into Vadh 2, evolving storytelling, and crafting layered thrillers beyond Punjabi cinema

It was not planned as a franchise. But writer-director Jaspal Singh Sandhu’s (2022), critically acclaimed as well as loved by those who watched it, has now emerged as a unique one with its sequel, , which has opened to rave reviews and a decent audience response. What is interesting here is that while the principal characters share the same names, the stories and the settings are quite different, and the twists in the tales are intriguing and very cerebral.

We talk to Sandhu, who has experienced success in Punjabi cinema as producer, writer and actor before he cruised into Hindi cinema.

You had a successful career in Punjabi cinema. Why did you not direct a film there?