Not Vijay Sethupathi, Tharun Moorthy first thought of this veteran Tamil actor as Mohanlal's friend in Thudarum
Vijay Sethupathi appears as a friend of Mohanlal's character Benz Shanmugham in the film Thudarum. But director Tharun Moorthy said he first thought of another Tamil actor for the role
Last Updated: 12.30 PM, Dec 11, 2025
During the recent JioHotstar South Unbound event, Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi reiterated that he is the biggest fan of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. Vijay Sethupathi also got a chance to share screen space with Mohanlal, albeit only in photographs, as his friend in the 2025 hit film Thudarum. In a recent chat with the Nona Prince YouTube Channel, Thudarum director Tharun Moorthy revealed that his first thought for Mohanlal’s friend character was not Vijay Sethupathi but Tamil actor Vijayakanth, who passed away in 2023. Read on
Vijay Sethupathi, Mohanlal in Thudarum
Malayalam filmmaker Tharun Moorthy’s third film, Thudarum, hit theatres in April 2025, and continues to be a topic of conversation even seven months after its release. The Malayalam film stars Mohanlal as a stunt man-turned-cab driver Benz Shanmugham, while Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi is seen as his friend in Chennai. During the chat, Tharun said that he wanted to cast Vijayakanth aka Captain because that was more believable in terms of the period the film unfolds.
“First I thought of Captain because of that era… Vijayakanth, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, that’s much more believable,” he explained.
But he refrained from doing so as so many Vijayakanth references were coming in so many movies in Tamil.
“Also, I did think that's a good idea to use his name after his death. Vijay Sethupathi sir is a big fan of Mohanlal sir. He only has one autograph framed in his office - that is Mohanlal sir,” Tharun Moorthy remarked.
The character only appears in photos, even then the Super Deluxe actor was pumped up over the role and that’s not just because of Mohanlal. His character would be portrayed as the husband of Shobana, a ‘childhood crush’ as Vijay Sethupathi admitted to Tharun.
Shobana plays Lalitha, who is first married to Vijay Sethupathi’s character, and after his death marries Mohanlal’s Benz character. A tale of revenge, Thudarum follows the events after Mohanlal’s stepson Pavi gets killed by a ruthless cop.
Thudarum FAQs
Q. Is Thudarum released on OTT?
A. Thudarum released on OTT in May 2025. You can watch Thudarum, starring Mohanlal and Shobana, on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium. Vijay Sethupathi is featured as Mohanlal's friend in photographs in the film, directed by Tharun Moorthy.
Q. Is Thudarum hit or flop?
A. Thudarum is a hit, garnering over Rs 235.8 crore in worldwide collections, as per Sacnilk. It is Mohanlal's second hit of the year after L2 Empuraan, which also had a successful run at the cinemas.