📌 Key Points
- Sai Sushanth exited ‘ENE Repeat,’ the sequel to the hit film ‘Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi.’
- Director Tharun Bhascker revealed Sushanth rejected the role due to personal struggles.
- Srikanth Maganti of ‘HIT’ and ‘Animal’ fame has replaced Sai Sushanth in the sequel.
- Tharun Bhascker assures fans that the character Karthik will remain consistent despite the change.
Tharun Bhascker revealed Sai Sushanth’s departure from ‘ENE Repeat’ was due to personal reasons. Srikanth Maganti is now stepping into the role. The director reassured fans that the character Karthik will remain true to the original film.
Sai Sushanth Steps Down from ENE Repeat
Last month, news broke that Sai Sushanth was replaced in the sequel to Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi. Tharun Bhascker spoke about it recently.
In 2018, when Tharun Bhascker’s Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi (ENE), starring Vishwak Sen , Sai Sushanth Reddy, Abhinav Gomatam and Venkatesh Kakumanu, hit screens, the buddy comedy found its audience and has become a cult hit through the years. After an announcement in June 2025 that the film’s sequel, ENE Repeat, was officially in the works, news broke last month that Sushanth stepped away from the film. During the student-led Honest Townhall, Tharun revealed the reason.
Tharun Bhascker Reveals the Reason Behind the Change
But Tharun says that despite that, he decided to go ahead with the project with Srikanth Maganti of HIT and Animal-fame taking over the role. “I had a story to tell, and I am not going to stop. For me, Sushi might change, but Karthik is the same. And, when I’m seeing the footage right now, I see Karthik. And that’s the magic of cinema. If I’m telling you that you’ll only see Karthik, I think I’ll succeed in doing that. I won’t let you guys down,” he said. Reacting to Tharun’s revelation, one Instagram user commented, “Karthik is the soul of ENE.” Another reacted to how Sushanth’s character leaves behind his passion for business in the film, writing, “Movie manifested real life.”
Srikanth Maganti Takes on the Role: What to Expect
The first part sees the friends go on a bachelor trip to Goa to celebrate Karthik’s engagement to his boss’s daughter, only to rediscover their passion for filmmaking and their life priorities. Announcing the sequel, which sees the friends reunite, Tharun had written, “Bro this is our vibe. To: Bro it’s happening again. The Most iconic Kanya Raasi gang is BACK. #ENERepeat #ENE.” A release date has yet to be announced.
Despite the casting change, Tharun Bhascker is confident that ‘ENE Repeat’ will capture the spirit of the original. He assures audiences that Karthik’s essence will remain intact, maintaining the magic of the cinema.
