Actor Dinesh, widely known as 'Attakathi' Dinesh after his breakout role in the 2012 film, directed by Pa Ranjith in his debut, was recently seen in a fierce and never-before-seen role in the filmmaker's upcoming film Vettuvam. The glimpse showed Dinesh practicing a form of martial arts and imposing himself in the middle of what seems like a clan. While the video garnered praise for the actor's performance and generated excitement for his role in the much-anticipated film, what caught the attention of eagle-eyed social media users was his quiet change of name in the posters and video.
Despite being known as 'Attakathi' Dinesh, he is credited as Dinesh in almost all of his films. After the release of Lubber Pandhu (2024), directed by Tamizharasan Pachamuthu, he was briefly called as 'Gethu' Dinesh after his role. But from Vettuvam onwards, he has changed his name to VR Dinesh, going back to his roots. All social media pages have also been changed to reflect his current name.
Dinesh has been earning acclaim for his choice of films over the last two years. J Baby, directed by Suresh Mari and Lubber Pandhu, released in 2024 were critically and commercially acclaimed. This year, he acted alongside Kalaiyarasan in Thandakaaranyam, helmed by Athiyan Athirai.
Vettuvam's production is currently in progress. The film's cast includes Arya, Sobhita Dhulipala, Kalaiyarasan, Mime Gopi, Guru Somasundaram, Shabeer Kallarakkal, and John Vijay, among others. Also part of the cast are Sai Dheena, Anand Saami, Harish Uthaman, Lizzy, Lingesh, Prem Kumar, Kavitha Bharathi, Arjun, Santha Kumar, Melody, Manisha, Nimmy, Raphael, Vikram, Naveen, and Prakash. Santhosh Narayanan Chenthilkumar and Franklin Jacob are credited as its co-writer and dialogue writer, respectively.
According to reports, Vettuvam follows a gangster at a village who surrenders to the law enforcement to evade his foes, only to discover that the system of imprisonment is worse. The film has been at the centre of certain hot debates, including one concerning the tragic passing of its stunt performer Mohan Raj during production. The first look poster of the film was released three years back at the Cannes Film Festival. It is backed by Pa Ranjith's Neelam Productions and Learn & Teach Productions.