Mahi Raghav’s directorial Yatra was a biopic on former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy which hit the cinemas in 2019. The Mammooty-starrer was a hit at the box office. With the success of the film, the team has now planned a sequel titled Yatra 2. Now, according to a report by India Today, Tamil actor Jiiva has been roped in to play the role of Andhra Pradesh’s current Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The pre-production of Yatra 2 is underway and the script is said to be finalised in a week. It will likely go on the production stage in August, this year. The film’s story is believed to focus on how Jagan Mohan Reddy emerged as a political leader after his father’s demise.
The report also mentioned that the director chose Jiiva for the role in Yatra 2 as he looks similar to the politician. Mammootty, who essayed the role of YS Rajasekhara Reddy in Yatra, is also expected to be seen in the sequel of the film. However, the official announcement from the makers is awaited. YSR Reddy died in September 2009 in a helicopter crash, a few months after he resumed the office for his second tenure.
It also said that the filmmaker Mahi Raghav is keen on casting actors who will fit into the role rather than cast actors due to their popularity. There are also rumours floating around that Malayalam actor Mammootty has charged a hefty amount of Rs 14 crore for his role in Yatra 2.
Meanwhile, Raghav is currently on a promotional spree for his upcoming web series Shaitan which is releasing on June 15 on Disney Plus Hotstar. On the other hand, Jiiva was last seen in the Tamil film Varalaru Mukkiyam. He is currently busy shooting for yet to be titled film with Raashi Khanna. The film is directed by Pa Vijay.