Ever since Kamal Haasan's production banner Raaj Kamal Films International announced Dharman as the title for their next film, starring Rajinikanth and directed by Ashwath Marimuthu, there has been much speculation about its story. There is always some speculation for a Rajinikanth starrer before the makers of the film comes out with an official statement. What has caught the interest of netizens with regard to Dharman is the use of its tagline, "The Deadly Doctor". On Thursday, Raaj Kamal Films International dropped another poster while using Rajinikanth's line from Mullum Malarum—"Ketta Paiyan Sir" (Bad Boy Sir)—in the caption.

Earlier this Friday, an X user insinuated that Dharman is based on the Netflix series The Good Doctor and claimed that Raaj Kamal Films International has acquired the remake rights. The user also said that it is one of their favourite series and wondered how the makers of the Rajinikanth starrer would adapt it for the big screen.

For the unversed, The Good Doctor follows a surgeon (Freddie Highmore) suffering from savant syndrome and autism who goes away from his life in the countryside for a job at a prestigious hospital. With a troublesome childhood behind him, the young man has a difficult time connecting with his colleagues, but he challenges their skepticism by saving lives with his exemplary medical expertise and intuition. The seven-season-long series also stars Hill Harper, Richard Schiff, Christina Chang, Paige Spara, Fiona Gubelmann, Will Yun Lee, Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, and Tamlyn Tomita.

Some hours after the user put out the post, speculating that Dharman is a potential remake of The Good Doctor, director Ashwath Marimuthu responded to it. Quote-tweeting the speculative post, the Dragon filmmaker wrote, "Fake News!"

Dharman marks the 173rd film in Rajinikanth's career. The film also stars Simran and Raashii Khanna. Production on it is underway.