We can put to rest the moniker Thalaivar 173; the film has a name now. Dharman is what you'll be seeing, and after some time of going back and forth, we have a firm date to mark the calendar. Backed by the coffers of Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International, it’s a go for this Thursday, June 25.
It is exactly what the fans want to see: Rajinikanth in the spotlight, Kamal in his corner, and a new voice in the director’s chair. That kind of combination is sure to pique your interest right away.
Title, tone, and first look
In Dharman, you get a side of Rajinikanth as a surgeon with a mean streak. The poster has him in his whites with some surgical tools in hand, not in a very gentle way, and the words ‘The Deadly Doctor’ make the point. It is a hard turn toward some moral grey areas and tension.
They made a show of it with a rousing Tamil line to put with the title, and it did its job in getting some good reaction and putting a stamp on the film’s no-nonsense vibe.
The team behind Dharman
You have Simran across from the star, which is a reunion of sorts since Petta in 2019. In a way, she is also working with Kamal Haasan once more, like in the early 2000s with Panchathanthiram and Pammal K Sambandam – something you don’t see much of these days.
Then there is Raashi Khanna and Yogi Babu in the mix. Anirudh Ravichander is on the music, with Niketh Bommi on the camera and Pradeep E Ragav at the editing table to give it a modern feel.
Here are the numbers:
– Title: Dharman
– Director: Ashwath Marimuthu
– Producer: Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International
– Lead cast: Rajinikanth, Simran, Raashi Khanna, Yogi Babu
– Music: Anirudh Ravichander
– Cinematography: Niketh Bommi
– Editing: Pradeep E Ragav
– Tagline: ‘The Deadly Doctor’
– Filming begins: Thursday, June 25
A project that changed hands
All was made official at a pooja in Chennai on the 24th. It puts a period to a story that has had its share of movement. The word on the street was right: Ashwath Marimuthu is the man for the job.
Rajinikanth gave us the run-down of how we got here. There was a script about a nuclear scientist in the works under Cibi Chakaravarthy, but with locations in Afghanistan and Russia, it was too much of a slog. They thought of KS Ravikumar, then Sundar C had to bow out. So they made their call with Ashwath.
Why that matters for fans
Some were put off by the hiccups, but things seem to have settled. With Kamal on top of it as a producer, Dharman should be able to get on with it, which is a welcome change after all the guesswork.
And the name is no accident. He has been in Dharma Durai (1991) and Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988), so Dharman is a tip of the hat to the past, but with a harder edge to it.
Next steps for Dharman
What the plot is, we can’t say yet, but the image of a doctor with some steel to him says you’re in for a thriller. We start shooting on the 25th, so you can expect to see some of the ins and outs in due course.
It is of some note that he and Kamal are making another film with Nelson as well. But for Dharman, having the veteran on the production side means there is an eye for detail on what is essentially a star's movie.
Now it is up to Ashwath to put some weight to the mass appeal. If you take the first look as a sign, Dharman is going to be a cut above.
