Anushka Sharma's debut production, the Navdeep Singh-directed NH 10, is gearing up for a sequel. Mirror has learnt that after the overwhelmingly positive critical reviews and a decent run at the box-office, the producers have come together to make another film in a bid to convert it into a franchise.

Confirming this, Madhu Mantena of Phantom films, that co-produced NH 10, told Mirror, "We're very pleased with the response that this film has generated and are ready to take it forward. The tentative title is NH 12 and it will be the second in a series of road-films that Phantom intends to make in the next few years."

Asked if Navdeep Singh and Anushka Sharma will return in NH 12, Madhu said that it's too premature for that. "We've finalised the deal with Eros just yesterday and our yet to finalise the talent. We should have clarity in the coming months."

NH 12 is the highway that connects Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to Jaipur in Rajasthan and a source familiar with the development said that the film will explore the bootlegging business prevalent in the region.

"The idea is to make a franchisee out of road films, a genre that's under-utilised in Bollywood, but one that has a lot of potential. NH 12 will explore another dark theme," Madhu added.