Prashanth Neel says he was ‘complacent’ from KGF 2 while making Prabhas' Salaar: ‘I will make up for it in Salaar 2’

Director Prashanth Neel shot a promotional interview to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Salaar: Part 1—Ceasefire. While talking about the Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer, he admitted to feeling ‘complacent’ about the film post the success of Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2 and said this about Salaar: Part 2—Shouryanga Parvam. (Also Read: Jr NTR's next film with Prashanth Neel gets a 2026 release date; fans decode poster for KGF connect)

Prashanth Neel on Salaar 2

Describing Salaar, Prashanth said in the interview that no matter how it was packaged, Salaar's story lies not in the action sequences but in the emotional core – the story of two childhood friends turned foes.

He said, “Salaar is not about the sword and guns; it's about the moment that drives best friends (Deva and Varadha) to become enemies. I am banking on the moment that drives them apart, the reason why that happens in part 2. The drama is not the same as what it was in Ugramm (his Kannada film Salaar is based on).”

Prashanth once said that it was his dream to see theatres full to watch the story of Ugramm, and he hoped to achieve that with Salaar. The film clashed with Shah Rukh Khan-starred Dunki at the box office.

When asked if he was happy with the film’s success, he responded, “I am not completely happy…I am a little disappointed with how much effort I put into the first part. Maybe I was subconsciously complacent from KGF 2. Since that happened, I decided to make Salaar 2 my best film. The writing I’ve put in for Salaar 2 makes it one of my best works. I am going to make up for it, I am confident of it. It’ll unquestionably be one of my best works.”

Upcoming work

Apart from Salaar: Part 2—Ceasefire, Prashanth is also directing a yet-to-be-titled film starring Jr NTR in the lead role. The film was launched in August with a pooja ceremony and will be released in theatres in January 2026. The director denied it when asked if it’ll be a mythological film, adding, “It is a periodic film, but it’s not a mythological film. That’s gonna happen a little later.”