Sanjay Dutt has officially confirmed that a sequel to his iconic 1999 film 'Vaastav: The Reality' is currently in development. The actor made the announcement during the launch event for 'Khalnayak Returns' on April 24, 2026.
Sanjay Dutt on 'Vaastav 2'
According to News18, when asked about his upcoming projects, Dutt revealed that work on the sequel is actively underway. He also addressed the possibility of another installment in the popular 'Munna Bhai' franchise. 'We are working on Vaastav 2. As for Munna Bhai, you will have to ask Rajkumar Hirani. Raju, please make Munna Bhai again!' he said, reigniting discussions about the beloved franchise.
Subhash Ghai Recalls Casting Story
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai shared an interesting anecdote about casting Sanjay Dutt in 'Khalnayak'. 'When I started working on Khalnayak, the news spread in the industry. Many stars met with me and expressed interest in doing the film. But I told them, I have an actor in mind already. I invited Sanju and narrated the story. He told me, Sir, I trust you. We are doing this film,' Ghai said. The film became one of the defining releases of the 1990s, featuring Sanjay Dutt as the iconic Ballu alongside Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff.
'Khalnayak 2' Idea from Jail Days
Sanjay Dutt also shared how the idea for 'Khalnayak Returns' first came to him during his time in jail in the 1990s. 'I got the thought of making Khalnayak part 2 in jail. I used to play music inside the prison. The inmates used to insist only on the songs of Khalnayak. I asked them, If Khalnayak is remade, who would like to see it? All 4000 prisoners said in unison that they would love to see it. I told them, Send me a one-pager idea of the film. It took me a lot of time to read 4000 pages! One of the ideas that I got appealed to me,' Dutt recalled. He added, 'I was out on parole, and I called sir (Subhash Ghai). I narrated that idea to him. Subhash ji also got excited, and he said it must be made.'
'Vaastav: The Reality,' directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and released in 1999, featured Sanjay Dutt in the lead role of Raghunath 'Raghu' Namdev Shivalkar. The film is considered a cult classic. Dutt was recently seen in 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge'. Fans are now eagerly awaiting the sequel to 'Vaastav' and the return of Ballu in 'Khalnayak Returns'.
