‘Dharman’ is Rajinikanth’s next; Ashwath Marimuthu replaces Cibi Chakaravarthi as director

Dharman is the title of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s much-anticipated film, as announced by the makers on Tuesday (June 24). With the announcement, it is now clear that director Ashwath Marimuthu (Oh My Kadavule, Dragon fame) has replaced Cibi Chakaravarthi (of Don fame) as the director.

The title of the film was unveiled at the film’s launch event in Chennai. Actor-producer Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International, the banner bankrolling the project, released a first-look poster of the film at the event to announce the news.

The poster features Rajinikanth as a surgeon with a violent streak. ‘The Deadly Doctor,’ is written as the tagline of the film. Notably, there have been films featuring Rajinikanth ‘Dharma’ in the title, like 1991’s Dharma Durai and 1988’s Dharmathin Thalaivan.

Dharman stars Simran, Raashi Khanna, and Yogi Babu in the lead. With music scored by Anirudh Ravichander, the film has cinematography by Niketh Bommi and editing by Pradeep E Ragav.

Ashwath Marimuthu, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and Mahendran at the launch event of ‘Dharman’ in Chennai on Tuesday, June 24
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Special Arrangement

Thalaivar 173 was officially announced last year. Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, apart from teaming up for their much-awaited reunion film (directed by Nelson), have also collaborated on Thalaivar 173, with Kamal taking on the role of the producer.

The project has undergone multiple changes with respect to the director at the helm. Earlier this year, Cibi Chakaravarthi was announced as the director helming the project; however, several news reports claimed that he had since been replaced by Ashwath Marimuthu. Now, the rumours have been confirmed.

While speaking at the pooja ceremony of the film, Rajinikanth acknowledged the multiple changes in the director. “This project was originally set to be directed by K.S. Ravikumar. But that didn’t work out, and then we had Sundar C. on board as the director. However, he had to exit the project due to his other film commitments. Then came Cibi Chakaravarthy; I really liked Cibi’s story, but it was a very sensitive subject. It was about a nuclear scientist, and it demanded shooting in Afghanistan and Russia. Moreover, it seemed like a very time-consuming project, which is why we couldn’t do it. Then we roped in Ashwath Marimuthu,” said Rajinikanth.

Details regarding the plot remain unknown. Given how long the two stalwarts have been searching for a perfect script to collaborate on, there are tremendous expectations surrounding the project.

Speaking at the event, Kamal Haasan reminisced about how the two decided to collaborate decades ago. “When Rajinikanth entered the film industry, he was acting in a few minor roles, but within three years, we were both at an equal level. We started acting in many films together, and you all know why we stopped acting together as well. But that time, we decided that we should collaborate on a film, and that either he or I should produce it. Then 40 years went by, and a few years ago, when I started this Raaj Kamal Films International office, we spoke about it again, and we started searching for the right script. Now we are doing two films. I am proud that those two youngsters who were sitting under the tree at AVM Studios have now travelled for so long in the film industry,” said Kamal.