Dada director Ganesh K Babu has opened up about the film that transformed his understanding of cinema, revealing that Selvaraghavan’s cult classic Pudhupettai played a decisive role in shaping his vision as a filmmaker.

Currently busy with his next project, Karathey Babu, a political thriller led by actor Ravi Mohan, Ganesh shared a picture with Selvaraghavan on X and penned an emotional note about finally meeting the filmmaker who inspired his journey. “Pudhupettai reshaped how I saw cinema. It guided Dada and now Karathey Babu,” he wrote. “@selvaraghavan sir became the reason I chose this path… the reason I became a filmmaker. Meeting him today felt like a circle closing.”

Ganesh’s upcoming directorial features Ravi Mohan as Karathey Babu, a politician representing the R K Nagar constituency. The actor reportedly shed around 12 kilos to prepare for the role. A teaser released earlier this year confirmed Ravi Mohan’s intense political avatar.

The film also introduces Daudee Jiwal, daughter of Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal, as the female lead. The ensemble supporting cast is extensive, with appearances by Shakthi Vasudevan, KS Ravikumar, Nasser, VTV Ganesh, Subramaniam Siva, Kavithalayaa Krishnan, Pradeep Antony, Knife Naren, Raja Rani Pandian, Sandeep Raj, Sindhupriya, Ajith Gosh, Aravindh, Kalki Raja, Sri Dhanya, Anandhi, Ilan, Sam Anderson, Vetrivel, and Nandhini Senthamizh.

Karathey Babu marks the third collaboration between Screen Scene Media Entertainment and Ravi Mohan, following Agilan (2023) and the recently released Brother. The film brings together composer Sam CS, cinematographer Ezhil Arasu K, and editor Kathiresh Alagesan. The writing team includes Rathna Kumar and Bakkiyam Sankar, who have penned the screenplay along with Ganesh K Babu.