Days after the release of Atharvaa's latest film, Idhayam Murali, the film's director and producer, Aakash Baskaran, has opened up about how Fahadh Faasil came on board revealing that the actor was not the makers' original choice for the role.
Speaking on Chai with Chitra, Aakash recalled the challenges of casting the character, explaining that the team struggled to lock an actor even as the film neared completion. While Fahadh eventually agreed to join the project, Aakash said the casting journey took an unexpected turn before the Malayalam actor came on board.
He revealed, "When I first wrote this story, SJ Suryah was the only name in my mind for this character. I was convinced that only he would fit the role perfectly. In fact, even now, Fahadh Faasil's character in the film is named Surya."
He revealed that SJ Suryah initially passed on the offer as he believed it was only an extended cameo. "When I approached him, he thought it was just a cameo and declined it. Once we began shooting, I stopped pursuing him," Baskaran added.
By the time principal photography was nearing completion, the role still remained uncast. Baskaran then decided to approach Fahadh Faasil, with whom he had stayed in touch since Maamannan. "I would occasionally send him scripts and messages. Even when we were wrapping up the shoot, I still hadn't found anyone for the role. So I thought I'd just check with Fahadh sir. I honestly didn't think he would say yes," he said.
Baskaran revealed that he sent Fahadh a trailer and a rough cut of the film that did not include the character. "He watched it and was very impressed. I explained my idea to him, and he liked it because he had been looking to do a fun Tamil film for a long time. He confirmed within a day or two." Since Fahadh was occupied with other commitments during the week, the team shot all of his portions over four Sundays.
Idhayam Murali also stars Preity Mukhundhan, Kayadu Lohar, Jonita Gandhi, Dravid Selvam, Niharika, Thaman, Angeline, Sudhakar, and Jonita Gandhi, among others.