(This article is authored by Alar)

The year 2024 is going to witness a massive box office battle between two of the biggest stars in Indian cinema. Kamal Haasan’s much-awaited vigilante action thriller Indian 2, directed by S. Shankar, is all set to release on Pongal 2024, along with Prabhas’s sci-fi action film Project K, directed by Nag Ashwin.

The film is touted to be a futuristic adventure that will showcase Prabhas in a never-seen-before avatar. The film is produced by Ashwini Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies banner and has music by A. R. Rahman. According to reports, Kamal Haasan has signed on to play the main antagonist in Project K, which will be his first negative role after Dasavathaaram.

This adds more spice to the clash between the two films, as both Kamal Haasan and Prabhas have huge fan bases across India and abroad. Both the films are expected to release in multiple languages and create a new record at the box office.

Indian 2 is a sequel to the 1996 blockbuster Indian, which featured Kamal Haasan in a dual role as a freedom fighter and his son, who fights against corruption in modern India. The sequel will see Kamal Haasan reprise his role as Senapathy aka Indian, along with S. J. Suryah and Kajal Aggarwal in pivotal roles.

The film also boasts of an ensemble cast that includes Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Kalidas Jayaram, Gulshan Grover, Vivek, Samuthirakani, Bobby Simha, Guru Somasundaram and others1. The film has been in the making for a long time, facing several hurdles such as the  pandemic, cost overruns, legal disputes and a fatal accident on the sets that killed three crew members.

The film also underwent some changes in the cast and crew, with cinematographer Ravi Varman replacing Rathnavelu and actor Guru Somasundaram joining the team after the demise of Vivekh and Nedumudi Venu. The film is jointly produced by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies and distributed by Yash Raj Films.

The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, who recently delivered a hit album for Kamal Haasan’s Vikram2. On the other hand, Project K is a highly anticipated film that marks the collaboration of Prabhas with Nag Ashwin, who won critical acclaim for his biopic Mahanati (2018). The film also features Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan in key roles.