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Anurag Kashyap signs Ajay Bahl to helm Ugly 2

By: Mohnish Singh

Well-known filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is set to roll a new film. If you are a fan of his brand of cinema, you would definitely remember his 2013 film Ugly, which revolved around the kidnapping of an actor’s young daughter. News has it that the critically acclaimed film is getting a sequel.


While Ugly was directed by Anurag Kashyap, Ugly 2 has a new director on board. Filmmaker Ajay Bahl, who received a great critical and commercial response for his film last film Article 375 (2019), is set to direct the sequel. Kashyap will bankroll the project under his production house.

Confirming the development, director Ajay Bahl says, “I actually went to Anurag with a script, a thriller which is dark and yet illuminated by a sense of immediacy and relevance. Anurag loved it. I wish I can tell you more about the story. All I can say is, it is nothing like anything seen in the genre of topical thrillers.”

The director goes on to add that the idea of turning Ugly into a franchise came from Kashyap. “It was he who suggested that we make my screenplay as Ugly 2. While Anurag directed the first Ugly film, I will direct the second. The idea is to turn Ugly into a franchise on the dark areas of life,” says Ajay.

As far as the casting goes, criminally underutilised and underrated actor Rahul Bhat may return to play one of the key characters in the sequel. Bahl has previously worked with the actor in his last directorial Article 375.

“I am very excited about Ugly 2. I had loved the first film in 2013. I feel my script fits perfectly into the mood created by the first film,” signs off Ajay Bahl.

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