Anshuman Jha: The Lakadbaggha franchise is my love letter to animals and a homage to Bruce Lee

Anshuman Jha’s Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business, the sequel to the 2023 action thriller Lakadbaggha, is set for an exclusive market screening at the Marché du Film as it gears up for international distribution ahead of its official world premiere later this year. Set against the backdrop of Indonesia, the India-Indonesia co-production combines martial arts action with an environmental message centred around wildlife trafficking. The film also shines a light on the critically endangered Yaki monkey, whose population has reportedly declined from nearly 50,000 in the 1990s to fewer than 5,000 in 2025 due to habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade.

Speaking about the vision behind the sequel, Anshuman says, “Lakadbaggha 1 was rooted in my love for dogs, while Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business widens that lens to all animals. Animals are going extinct because humanity is going extinct. We wanted to elevate the action, not just in intensity but also in meaning, because beyond the fights lies the question of what you stand for. Marché du Film gives us the platform to take this story to global audiences who value cinema that engages both the heart and the mind.”





Opening up about how the sequel expands the world of the franchise, he says, “The Lakadbaggha franchise has always been my love letter to animals and a homage to Bruce Lee. With Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business, we’ve gone bigger, darker and more international. The story moves into the brutal underworld of illegal wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia, centred around the critically endangered Yaki monkey. The action is larger, but the emotional and environmental stakes are even more real.”

For Anshuman, the screening at Marché du Film marks a significant milestone for an independent Indian action franchise. He shares, “Marché du Film Cannes is the biggest film market in the world, so showcasing Lakadbaggha 2 there before its world premiere is a massive opportunity. We’re hoping to take an Indian martial arts franchise to global players like Toho, Well Go USA and Kino, who have backed internationally recognised action franchises such as Ip Man, Train to Busan and Godzilla Minus One. For an independent Indian action franchise, this is rare territory, and I’m deeply grateful to the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme and Webfilmland Germany for believing in the film and supporting it at Cannes.”

Sharing how the Indo-Indonesian collaboration came together, he says, “It began with the script. Writer Sourav Ghosh had set the story in Indonesia, and in 2023, I watched the Indonesian film Sara. I reached out to the team behind it, which led to Matta Cinema coming on board. From there, the collaboration grew organically with support from Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Creative Economy. We were especially excited to showcase West Java, a stunning part of Indonesia that global audiences haven’t really seen on screen in this way before.”


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