Not Arjun, Sarathkumar was the original choice for Shankar's Gentleman

After Ponniyin Selvan 2, Sarathkumar is now gearing up for his next Por Thozhil, in which he will be seen along with Ashok Selvan. The film is helmed by Vignesh Raja and Sarathkumar stated in a recent interview to Galatta that he was always open to working with newcomers.

Also Read: Por Thozhil: Ashok Selvan, Sarath Kumar join hands for the first time for a thriller. Details inside 

He cited an incident where he was the original choice for the then debutant director Shankar's Gentleman (1993) and that he had to let go of the film for a couple of reasons. He said," I was supposed to do Gentleman with Shankar. I had recommended the film to producer KT Kunjumon, thinking that it would be a good project for him. I had done the photo shoot for Gentleman. Though I didn't act in the film, it came out well."

Check out the teaser of Por Thozhil below

He added, "I had also committed to director Pavithran's film. At that time, there was an issue between Kunjmon and Pavithran. Kunjumon asked me not to work in Pavithran's film, I Love India. But it was Pavithran, who gave me a film like Suryan (one of the biggest hits in Sarathkumar's career). So, I told Kunjumon that I will do both the films."

Also Read: KT Kunjumon's Gentleman 2 to be directed by A Gokul Krishna 

Sarathkumar had yet another predicament. "Pavithran asked me to sport a moustache for my character and Shankar said that my character would be better off without a moustache. I had to make a decision at that point of time. I went ahead with 'I Love India' for Pavithran."

Interestingly, it is said that Telugu actor Rajasekhar was also approached for Gentleman. Since he was known for his cop roles, he didn't want to go against his image and rejected it. The role eventually went to Arjun, and the final star cast included Madhu, Goundamani, Senthil, Subhasri, Charan Raj to name a few. The film, which had music by AR Rahman, turned out to be a blockbuster.