Does KGF Chapter 2’s Eashwari Rao’s inclusion in Salaar point to a connect between the films?

When Tamil actor Saran Shakthi’s inclusion on the cast of KGF: Chapter 2 was announced, it was widely rumoured that director Prashant Neel’s masterstroke would be to use his character and connect the KGF universe to Salaar. In fact, many speculated that Saran could be playing a young version of Salaar in KGF2. However, (spoiler alert), his character, Farmaan, is believed dead, shot by Adheera’s (Sanjay Dutt) men at the gates of Narachi. While this momentarily put an end to the rumours, they were rekindled again when Eashwari Rao joined the cast of Salaar.

The actress is credited as Salaar’s mother in the Prashant Neel directorial. In KGF: Chapter 2, she was Farmaan’s mother and even though it is said that he died at the hands of Adheera’s men, and his ‘body’ is later retrieved by Rocky Bhai (Yash), he is never really shown dead, as the body on the gurney remains covered. Moreover, fans reason that Farmaan’s leadership qualities as he heads to protect the gates of Narachi could be why he’s dubbed Salaar (Commander) later on. And finally, fans state that the talisman worn by both Farmaan and Salaar are similar, giving credence to the speculation about the connect between the two films.

Prashant, of course, has not commented on this yet, stating only that Salaar is not the remake of his debut film, Ugramm. It has been widely said that the basic thread of Salaar is the same as Ugramm and that the filmmaker is making suitable changes to the narrative in keeping with Prabhas’ star power and image. The Hombale Films produced project is currently in production, with about 40% done. The team, which includes KGF fame cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda and composer Ravi Basrur, while Mollywood star Prithviraj, and Jagapati Babu are also on the cast. Salaar’s next schedule is expected to begin in early May, with a teaser likely by the end of the month.