Tumbbad director Rahi Anil Barve announced his exit from the sequel of the critically-acclaimed 2018 folk horror film on Saturday, extending best wishes to the project’s new team including producer-actor Sohum Shah and co-director Adesh Prasad.

The original film, which collected Rs 22 crore nett at the domestic box office upon re-release, surpassing its initial earnings from 2018, concludes its credits with a teaser about the sequel.

In his statement, Rahi reflected on the journey of Tumbbad, revealing that he initially planned on making a trilogy of films exploring the themes of patriarchy, feminism, and spirituality.

“First was the greed of patriarchy. My personal and much darker version of father, son and the holy ghost. The second deals with the dawn of feminism and holier than holy satipratha — Pahadpangira. The third, the end of this trilogy will be Pakshitirtha. That’s all I have to say for now,” he wrote.

He also mentioned his plans to start production on Pahadpangira in March 2025 after completing his current projects — horror comedies Gulkanda Tales and Rakht Brahmand.

Rahi conveyed his support for Sohum and Adesh for Tumbbad 2. “I have no doubts it will be an outstanding success,” he wrote. Sohum Shah responded warmly to Rahi’s post, wishing him the best for his upcoming projects. “Jaldi Sai shuru kar de pahadpangira. Maza aayega,” the actor wrote on X.

In a further twist, Anand Gandhi, the creative director of the original Tumbbad, also confirmed he would not be involved in the sequel, leaving the project in the hands of the new team.

Produced by Sohum Shah Films and presented by Aanand L Rai's Colour Yellow Productions, Tumbbad is set in a village in Maharashtra where it rains all through the year because of a curse. The village holds a secret treasure, along with a shrine for a demon named Hastar. The story revolves around a father and son who try to retrieve the treasure.