Suriya’s much-awaited mythological film ‘Karna’, which was supposed to mark his Bollywood debuthas reportedly been canceled. Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehraknown for ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, the film was planned to be made in two parts with a huge budget of Rs 350 crore. Suriya was to play the lead role of Karna, while Janhvi Kapoor was cast as Draupadi for her first Tamil film.
Reports suggest that the decision to cancel Karna was due to its massive budget, which became a concern after Suriya’s recent film Kanguva underperformed. Despite the film’s high production values and a star-studded cast including Bobby Deol and Disha Patani making their Tamil debuts, Kanguva received mixed-to-negative reviews and has struggled at the box office since its November 14, 2024 release.
In an interesting twist, Kanguva will have a sequel, which was recently confirmed by its producer. The follow-up is set to feature Suriya’s brother Karthi as the antagonist and is expected to release in 2026. While the sequel announcement has eased some of the disappointment over Kanguva’s underperformance, fans are still upset about the shelving of Karna.
Suriya’s upcoming projects include Suriya 44, a romantic action film directed by Karthik Subbarajwhere he will star alongside Pooja Hegde. The actor has also announced Suriya 45, directed by RJ Balaji, with music by AR Rahman, adding to the excitement around his future work.
Though there’s been no official statement from the makers about Karna being shelved, the news has sparked discussions among fans, particularly due to its potential to be a major pan-Indian hit.
For now, Suriya’s fans are eagerly awaiting his upcoming projects, hopeful that he will recover from Kanguva’s mixed reception.