While films create a spectacle within a theatre, outside, professional rivalries of various actors have been spectacles of their own. From MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan, and Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, to Ajith Kumar and Vijay, actors have been continuously pitted against each other. At a pre-release event, conducted in Coimbatore, for the Dhanush-starrer Kara, director KS Ravikumar asked Dhanush who is the contemporary for the actor, to which the actor responded with wit.

When KS Ravikumar asked if Dhanush considers Karthi, or Suriya, or Ravi Mohan to be his contemporary, Dhanush replied, "I always take my own path. I don't take others' path or stand in their way."

The actor added that he is in competition with himself as he seeks to be better at his craft, whether it is acting, writing, or directing.

While Dhanush currently maintains this stance, in the past he has been pitted against Silambarasan TR. But since then both actors have denied this rumour. Silambarasan is now starring in Vetri Maaran's Arasan, which is in the world of Vada Chennai (2018), which features Dhanush in the lead.

Dhanush's Kara is set to release on April 30. Directed by Vignesh Raja, the film is set in the early 90s, in a time of fuel crises caused by the Gulf War. The cast of the film also features Mamitha Baiju, Karunaas, Jayaram, Sreeja Ravi, Prithvi Pandiarajan, MS Bhaskar, and KS Ravikumar.