In an exclusive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, filmmaker-actor Basil Joseph and star Tovino Thomas opened up about the future of Minnal Murali, the much-anticipated sequel, and a quietly brewing collaboration that has sparked speculation around Allu Arjun.
Joseph, who directed the original 2021 Netflix-backed superhero film, was cautious about committing to a timeline for Minnal Murali 2. “I’m not sure about Minnal Murali 2 right now. I’m working on something else at the moment, and that’s taking quite a bit of time,” he said, adding that the project currently in motion remains in “discussion and planning” stages. When nudged about whether this unnamed project involves Allu Arjun, Joseph laughed it off: “I can’t talk about it right now.”
What he did confirm, however, is that the return of the homegrown superhero is inevitable. “Yeah, for sure. Eventually. We need him back,” he said.
Thomas, who played the titular role, revealed that the team had once envisioned a sprawling franchise. “We already had plans—parts two, three, four, five…” he said, before slipping into humour about the prolonged wait. “I’ve been getting this question everywhere. Give me five or six months… no, but seriously, I will definitely come back to Minnal Murali 2. Even if it’s much later—like when he’s at retirement age!”
The banter quickly escalated into a running joke about an ageing superhero. “Maybe Minnal Murali with blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar,” Joseph quipped, as Thomas added that while Joseph could continue directing into old age “like Clint Eastwood,” a superhero doesn’t have that luxury. “I’ll try to maintain, but age will catch up,” Thomas said, before jokingly proposing a workaround: “My son is growing up and looks a lot like me. I might just impose nepotism through him.”
Beyond the humour, both acknowledged the long gap since the first film’s release. “It’s been a long time after Minnal Murali. He filled the gaps by acting,” Thomas said, referring to Joseph’s increasingly visible on-screen career.
Joseph, for his part, pointed to the realities of mounting a project at scale. “Sometimes things are beyond our control. A lot has happened in between, so it took time. For something of this scale, the pre-production takes time. Let’s see how this works out—fingers crossed,” he said, confirming that his next directorial is indeed in the works.
Thomas also voiced a sentiment widely echoed by Malayalam cinema audiences. “We all miss director Basil Joseph. We love actor Basil Joseph, no doubt—but even I’ve told him he shouldn’t take this long,” he said, before acknowledging the circumstances that led to the delay. “The process has been ongoing, and a lot has happened in these years. Malayalis really miss him as a director.”
Yet, in a telling note, Thomas hinted that Joseph’s return behind the camera may not be confined to Malayalam cinema alone. “Maybe they won’t get the Malayalam director Basil Joseph very soon—but perhaps audiences across India will,” he said—an observation that aligns with industry chatter about a potential large-scale project involving a pan-India star like Allu Arjun.
