Not Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir and Vinayakan were the frontrunners for this iconic role, reveals Dileesh Pothan
Dileesh Pothan reveales that he considered Soubin Shahir and Vinayakan for the role of a thief in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, which eventually went to Fahadh Faashil and fetched him a National Award
Last Updated: 01.21 PM, Jul 14, 2025
Malayalam filmmaker Dileesh Pothan has only three movies as his directorial ventures. Despite that, Dileesh Pothan has established himself as a notable director with his Maheshinte Prathikaaram, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum and Joji. Notably, all three films have actor Fahadh Faasil in the lead. Dileesh Pothan recently revealed that he had considered Soubin Shahir and Vinayakan for the role of a thief in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, which eventually went to Fahadh and fetched him a National Award.
Fahadh Faasil not the first choice for Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum is a 2017 Malayalam movie, which starred Fahadh Faasil as a thief, along with Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Nimisha Sajayan. In a recent interview with The New Indian Express, Dileesh Pothan said that he had considered first actor Soubin Shahir for the role of the thief and Fahadh was supposed to play Prasad (which was eventually played by Suraj Venjaramoodu)
But Soubin at the time was busy with his directorial venture Parava at the time, and the team had to reconsider the casting choices due to scheduling conflicts, he added.
The filmmaker further explained that the team did not want to ‘repeat the dynamic from Maheshinte Prathikaram’, with Fahadh playing the husband’s role. They explored other options and even considered the Kammatti Paadam actor Vinayakan for the role. But ultimately, Fahadh was cast as the thief, Dileesh explained.
Dileesh Pothan has also acted in several films. He was last seen as a cop in Shahi Kabir's Ronth, which won positive reviews.
Where to watch Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum on OTT
You can stream Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium right now.
The film narrates the tale of Prasad and Srija, who get married despite objections from Srija’s family. The couple move to another town and even as they struggle to make ends meet, a thief steals Srija’s gold chain. From then on the couple and the police are trying to retrieve the chain from the thief.
Fahadh Faasil’s nuanced performance won him the National Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also marked the acting debut of Nimisha Sajayan.