The Commando franchise has raised the bar several notches in the action-thriller genre and catapulted Vidyut Jammwal to the star category. He stepped into the Commando universe as Karanveer (Karan) Singh Dogra in 2013, and continued to wow the audience with thrilling action stunts in the other two movies. The three parts, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and co-produced and distributed by Reliance Entertainment, have raked in more than Rs 100 crore worldwide. And, now, eight years after the release of the first Commando movie, Vipul is gearing up to get behind the camera for the fourth part, which he wants to take to the next level in terms of action. The movie is expected to roll by the end of the year.
Vipul Amrutlal Shah |
Giving insight into the movie, a source said, “The first Commando: A One Man Army (2013) was directed by Dilip Ghosh, Commando 2: The Black Money Trail (2017) was helmed by Deven Bhojani, and Commando 3 (2019) was directed by Aditya Datt. Vipul wants to direct the fourth part as he wants to take the high-octane action sequences several notches higher. It will be a high-budget action thriller, which Vipul plans to shoot in different countries if everything goes well. The Commando series is not just one of the most challenging movies to shoot because of the distinctive action scenes, but also an expensive one in the genre. But money is not an issue for Vipul who has a unique brand of filmmaking. And Vidyut, who is trained in the Indian martial arts form, Kalaripayattu, is expected to train in newer forms of action for Commando 4. The plan is to keep the franchise moving forward with every film becoming bigger and better than the previous one. Vipul is expected to make a formal announcement in a couple of months once the rest of the cast has been finalised.”
The Commando franchise is special for Vipul and he is excited about directing the fourth one. “Vipul has locked the script. Commando 4 is his vision. He plans to make it on a grand scale and intends to rope in international action directors who will assist him choreograph action scenes with finesse and showcase some new forms of action — be it martial arts, face-to-face combat or any form of combat sport. Vipul and Vidyut make a great team. The actor is not only one of the best action stars in the country, but also a martial arts expert. So, when the two come together people expect something fantastic. Apart from Vidyut, Adah Sharma is set to reprise her role as Senior Inspector Bhavna Reddy. The rest of the cast is being finalised.”
The first Commando was shot in a jungle, the second in Bangkok and the third in London, so Commander 4 may be shot in Europe if everything goes well. “Commando 4 will apparently see Karanveer Singh Dogra [Vidyut’s character] tackle issues on a global scale and will be set against a contemporary background. Vipul is tight-lipped about the story. Only a handful of people, including Vidyut, know about it.”
Commando 4 is Vidyut and Vipul’s sixth collaboration after Force, Commando movies and Sanak. The filming for the movie is expected to start by the end of 2021 after Vidyut and Vipul have finished their pending assignments. Vipul is currently shooting for his debut web series, Human (directed by him and Mozez Singh), in Madhya Pradesh. The series stars Vipul’s wife, actor Shefali Shah, Ram Kapoor and Kirti Kulhari.
Vidyut has his hands full with several pending projects. He recently completed Vipul’s (and Zee Studios’s) home production, Sanak, which is being directed by Kanishk Varma, and stars Neha Dhupia, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Rukmini Maitra. Vidyut will soon start shooting for the sequel of Khuda Hafiz. The first schedule is expected to be shot abroad. Khuda Haafiz: Chapters 2, directed by Faruk Kabir and produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak, stars Shivaleeka Oberoi and will take the story of the newly-weds, Sameer [Vidyut] and Nargis [Shivalika] forward in another action adventure. It was supposed to go on floors in April this year, but was postponed due to the second Covid wave. “Vipul and Vidyut have some exciting projects coming up. The action star is also set to enter Hollywood as he has signed up with Hollywood talent management agency Wonder Street, which represents some of the best action and martial arts stars like Jordan Cann, Tiger Chen, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Jai White and Tony Jaa.”
Despite several attempts to contact him, Vipul Amrutlal Shah remained unavailable for a comment till the time we went to print.
