Actor Richard Rishi will soon be seen portraying the role of Veerasimha Kadavarayan in Mohan G's upcoming period drama Draupathi 2. Ahead of its release, the actor described the role and the transformation it required as "career-defining."
During a recent media interaction, Richard said, "Embodying King Veera Simha Kadavarayan in Draupathi 2 has been a career-defining transformation. This wasn't merely acting, it was breathing life into Tamil Nadu's blood-soaked legacy of bravery and sacrifice."
The actor, who also played the lead in the first film released in 2020, further went on to say that the director's vision for the upcoming film transcends cinema. "It's a resurrection of history. Working with him again after Draupathi feels like returning to battle alongside a trusted commander," he added.
As reported earlier, Rakshana Induchoodan plays the female lead in Draupathi 2 as Draupathi Devi. Chirag Jani, known for his roles in Kaappaan, Thunivu and Agilan, is set to play Mohammad Bin Tughlaq while Dinesh Lamba will be seen in the role of Ghiyasuddin Thamkani.
Natty, YG Mahendran, Barani, Saravana Subbiah, Vela Ramamoorthy, Siraj Johnny, Ganesh Gaurang, Divi, Devayani Sharma, and Arunodayan also play key roles in the film.
Draupathi 2 marks the third collaboration between Richard Rishi and Mohan G, after Draupathi and Rudra Thandavam (2023). Mounted as a grand multilingual period film, it has been written by Mohan G and Padma Chandrasekhar. The film is set in the 14th century and unfolds against the backdrop of the rule of Hoysala emperor Veera Vallalar III, the valour and resistance of the Kadavarayas of Sendhamangalam, and the turbulent shifts triggered by the Mughal invasion of Tamil Nadu. The director previously disclosed that Draupathi 2 would start off from Draupathi (2020). "The duration of this film is 2 hours and 39 minutes. Of this, only eight to nine minutes of the story happens in 2025, the remaining happens in the 14th century," he noted, explaining that he took inspiration from a small book called Moondram Vallalla Maharaja by a historian Annal Kandar.
The film’s technical crew includes music composer Ghibran Vaibodha, cinematographer Philip R Sundar, editor Devaraj, art director Kamalnathan, choreographer Thanika Tony, and stunt coordinator Action Santosh. The film is backed by Chola Chakravarthy of Netaji Productions in association with GM Film Corporation.
While the film was earlier slated for release on Pongal, it will now hit theatres on January 23.