The team behind the successful action franchise ‘Jaat’ has secured a major coup, announcing that veteran Bollywood director Rajkumar Santoshi will helm the sequel, Jaat 2. Santoshi steps into the director’s chair, replacing the original film’s director, Gopichand Malineni, who is currently tied up with prior commitments, ensuring the action-packed sequel remains on track.
This casting signifies a monumental reunion between Santoshi and lead star Sunny Deol, a legendary actor-director pair whose previous collaborations delivered some of Indian cinema’s most powerful and acclaimed hits, including Ghayal, Damini, and Ghatak. The producers, People Media Factory and Mythri Movie Makers, are confident that Santoshi’s distinct style will elevate the franchise to an even bigger scale.
Following the surprise success of Jaat (2025), which resonated deeply with mass audiences due to its raw action, emotional core, and Deol’s signature heroism, the producers were eager to fast-track the sequel. However, director Gopichand Malineni, who is currently occupied with a major film starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, could not commit the required time to Jaat 2.
This scheduling conflict opened the door for Rajkumar Santoshi, whose directorial DNA perfectly aligns with the kind of high-octane, justice-driven cinema Deol’s fan base craves.
“The producers and Sunny Deol are confident that Rajkumar Santoshi’s direction will raise the stakes even further for the sequel,” a source close to the production confirmed. “No one understands Sunny Deol’s audience connect better than Santoshi. His storytelling has the right balance of emotion, action, and mass appeal, exactly what Jaat 2 needs to elevate the franchise.”
The reunion is particularly exciting given that Deol won the National Award for Best Actor for their collaboration Ghayal (1990) and Best Supporting Actor for Damini (1993), proving the potent cinematic magic they create together.
The producers have not only secured the director but have done so with a major investment. Reports suggest that Rajkumar Santoshi has been offered a substantial remuneration of ₹15 crores to direct the sequel, marking the biggest paycheck of his illustrious career. This massive fee underscores the producers’ belief in his ability to deliver a commercial blockbuster and expand the Jaat universe into a perennial action franchise.
The deal highlights the skyrocketing market value of the Deol-Santoshi pairing, which is experiencing a second wave of immense demand following the success of Deol’s recent films and the anticipation surrounding their ongoing project, Lahore 1947.
Rajkumar Santoshi is currently immersed in the pre-production and filming of his next joint project with Deol, the historical drama ‘Lahore: 1947,’ which is being produced by Aamir Khan Productions.
The plan for Jaat 2 is clearly structured around their existing commitments. The paperwork for the action sequel is expected to be finalized in the coming month. If all logistical hurdles are cleared and the production schedules hold, ‘Jaat 2’ is expected to go on floors in the latter half of 2026, following the theatrical release of Lahore: 1947.
The producers are using the interim period to develop the script, enhance the action sequences, and prepare the elaborate production design necessary for a Santoshi-Deol epic. Fans eagerly await this new chapter in the Jaat series, anticipating a return to the explosive, morally complex action dramas that cemented both Santoshi and Deol as icons of Hindi cinema.
