Priyanka Chopra Jonas brings back Ventilator: Marathi sequel set for 2027
Ten years after the National Award-winning Marathi film, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has announced Ventilator 2 with director Rajesh Mapuskar, produced by Purple Pebble Pictures and Magij Pictures for a 2027 release.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is going back to where her producing career found its heart. The actor-producer has announced Ventilator 2, a sequel to the 2016 Marathi film Ventilator, with Rajesh Mapuskar returning to write and direct. The film is set for release in 2027. She shared the news on Instagram, looking back on the decade since she started Purple Pebble Pictures to tell, in her words, stories that mean something.
Who is making it
The sequel will be produced by Priyanka, her mother Dr Madhu Chopra and Rajesh Mapuskar under the Purple Pebble Pictures and Magij Pictures banners. The cast, story and shooting schedule have not been announced yet, so anyone claiming to know who plays what is guessing.
Why the original still matters
Ventilator was a warm, funny, very Marathi story about the Kamerkar family gathering in a hospital around an ailing elder, and everything that comes out when relatives are stuck in one corridor. It starred Ashutosh Gowariker and Jitendra Joshi, with Priyanka herself making a special appearance. The film won three National Film Awards: Best Director for Mapuskar, Best Editing and Best Sound Mixing. For a small regional film, that was a statement.
It also set the template for Purple Pebble Pictures. The banner went on to back films such as Paani, Pahuna, The Sky Is Pink, The White Tiger, Firebrand, To Kill a Tiger and Anuja – a slate that has leaned towards character-driven, often regional stories rather than safe star vehicles.
What it means for Indian cinema fans
Regional cinema has been the most exciting part of the Indian film business for years now, and Marathi cinema in particular has a reputation for strong writing on modest budgets. A sequel backed by a global star's banner gives it a bigger stage, more theatres and, eventually, a wider streaming audience across India. It also means Priyanka, whose recent work has largely been international, keeps a firm foothold in Indian storytelling.
The FHM take
Sequels usually exist because the first one made money. Ventilator 2 feels different – it is a bet on a family story that people loved because it felt real. If Mapuskar can bottle that chaos-and-tenderness mix again, 2027 might give us the best kind of sequel: the one nobody saw coming. We just hope the casting announcement brings back at least a few of those squabbling Kamerkars.
Spotted a mistake, or your photo used without permission? Report a correction
in your inbox