In his two-decade-long career, Dhanush has played a myriad of roles in multiple languages and has garnered praise—From a boy next door, a struggling photographer, a person with a mental illness, a headstrong politician to even a speech-impaired actor. But according to director Vignesh Raja, Dhanush's most challenging role in his career was Maari (2015), directed by Balaji Mohan.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India ahead of the release of his sophomore directorial Kara, headlined by the actor, Vignesh said, "It was very surprising for me. Dhanush explained that playing a rogue character, someone who would burst children's balloons with a cigarette, while still remaining lovable was like 'walking on a knife' and required immense effort to execute properly. Similarly, there are many iconic roles he had played in his career, so it was a privilege working with him."

Elsewhere in the interview, the Por Thozhil filmmaker recalled a fond and vivid memory associated with one of Dhanush's film. He quoted the example of Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam (2006), noting how he laughed through the entirety of the comedy drama, which also starred Prakash Raj and Shriya Saran in lead roles. "I was in my 10th. It released in the middle of my board exams. I was not allowed to go to theatres. So, we got a pirated copy and I watched it on my laptop. I have never laughed so much in my life. It is a film that I thoroughly enjoyed," he said.

Kara, which is set to release in theatres on April 30, has been written by Vignesh Raja as well as Alfred Prakash.

Kara features Mamitha Baiju as Selli, Jayaram as Muthu Selvan, KS Ravikumar as Kandhasaami, Suraj Venjaramoodu as Bharathan, and Karunaas as Kasi Maayan, Sreeja Ravi as Dhanam, and Prithvi Pandiarajan as Murugesan. National Award winning actor, MS Bhaskar is also part of the film. 

The film has Dhanush playing Karasaami aka Kara, a robber during the Gulf War of 1991 which leads to a fuel crises in Tamil Nadu, forcing him to battle for his sustenance.