Actor Ravi Teja has revealed that he was initially approached to play the lead role in Venky Atluri’s 2023 bilingual hit Sir (Vaathi), which ultimately starred Dhanush. The actor himself admitted that the Tamil actor was the perfect fit for the story.

In a new promotional video for Mass Jathara, directors Venky Atluri and Bhanu Bogavarapu are seen chatting with Ravi Teja. During their conversation, Venky revealed that Sir was first pitched to Ravi before Dhanush came on board. “Actually, I pitched Sir to him first,” Venky said. “He told me he was a little busy and asked if I could wait. When I said I couldn’t, he told me not to worry. Within two to three months, I was able to bring Dhanush on board. When I told Ravi Anna this, he said not to think twice because Dhanush is a superb actor.”

Venky went on to share that Ravi Teja appreciated the final film after watching it. “Afterwards, he called me and said the film was good. But he also told me he wouldn’t have played it the same way,” the filmmaker said, to which Ravi smiled and agreed that Dhanush suited the role better.

Released in 2023, Sir/Vaathi marked a shift for Venky Atluri, who was previously known for light-hearted romances like Tholi Prema, Mr Majnu, and Rang De. The film tackled the commercialisation of education in India, with Dhanush and Samyuktha Menon playing the leads. Following its success, Atluri returned with another hit, Lucky Baskhar (2024), a financial black comedy starring Dulquer Salmaan. He is now working on a new project with Suriya, titled Suriya 46.

Meanwhile, Dhanush, who was last seen in Kuberaa and Idly Kadai, is currently filming Aanand L Rai’s Tere Ishk Mein and another untitled project with director Vignesh Raja. Ravi Teja, who last appeared in Eagle and Mr Bachchan, is gearing up for his next release, Mass Jathara, co-starring Sreeleela, which hits theatres on October 31.