Dragon fame Ashwath Marimuthu is currently involved in the pre-production work for his next film, tentatively titled STR51, with Silambarasan TR in the lead. However, the director has now revealed that he was initially the first choice for Rajinikanth’s Thalaivar173 before director Cibi Chakaravarthi.
Ashwath Marimuthu reveals once being a choice for Rajinikanth’s Thalaivar173
According to online reports by Movies Singapore, Ashwath Marimuthu revealed in an interview that he was the first choice for Rajinikanth’s Thalaivar173.
The Dragon director said, “When I was writing STR51, at one point, it got stuck in a deadlock, so I worked on a different script. During the initial meetings, I discussed an idea with him (Rajinikanth), and he loved it. I then developed it into a full script and narrated it to him for one hour and forty minutes. He was completely hooked on the story during the interval block; he even forgot to have lunch at his age while listening. He said the villain character had come out superbly and even discussed proper casting for it.”
“The film almost got finalised, but couldn’t happen due to certain situations. Rajinikanth sir then said he would do Cibi Chakaravarthi’s film, but this project should definitely be made in the future. He also mentioned that only he or Kamal Haasan sir could fulfil that character. Even the production company loved the story. I hope I will definitely make that film,” the filmmaker added.
Ashwath also revealed that he has a script specifically crafted for Thalapathy Vijay. The director mentioned that he had written a big story for Vijay. He recalled that when he and Pradeep met actor Vijay after the release of Dragon, the Beast actor had remarked to producer Archana Kalpathi that he was the right person for them and that they should have brought the director to him to work on a project.
More about Thalaivar173
Rajinikanth is next set to work with director Cibi Chakaravarthi on the tentatively titled Thalaivar173. The film is expected to go on floors in April 2026, with actors like Basil Joseph and Priyanka Mohan rumored to play pivotal roles.
