We had recently reported about RJ Balaji sharing that his latest release Karuppu was initially written with Vijay in mind, before the actor made his full-fledged entry into politics. He also revealed how he tweaked it to make it work with Suriya as the titular God. Now, in a recent interview, the filmmaker opened up on the discussions he had with Vijay and what led to him turning down the script.

Underlining that Karuppu was supposed to be Vijay's final film, RJ Balaji, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India said, "We had two or three meetings which went on for some time, discussing things like him entering politics and taking a call as to which film to make as his last film. He had another option with H Vinoth (Jana Nayagan) and he asked me if he could inform me in a week. Later, he called me and mentioned certain reasons for not accepting the project."

While the filmmaker was disappointed, he noted that his reasons were "justified". "I said, ‘Sir, I absolutely respect your decision, thank you so much,’ because by that time I had narrated two films to him when he asked me if I had something. I thought this was a big respect he gave for my work and my creativity," he added.

After parting ways with Vijay on good terms, Balaji said Dream Warrior Pictures, the production house behind Karuppu, later approached him about narrating the same story to Suriya — a move he had already informed Vijay about.

"That’s how the project eventually transformed into a Suriya film. Even though Vijay didn’t take up the film, the fact that he listened to the story opened the door for me to make it. That’s also why I thanked him in the opening credits. After hearing the narration, he raised the right questions, and those inputs ultimately helped improve the script," RJ Balaji said.

In Karuppu, Suriya stars as the titular guardian deity, who assumes the form of a lawyer after a devotee in distress, pleads for justice. The cast of the film also includes Trisha, Indrans, Swasika, Sshivada, Anagha Maya Ravi, Supreeth Reddy, Natty Natraj, among others. The filmmaker portrays the antagonist, Baby Kannan. The film is currently having a successful run in theatres and has already surpassed the Rs 250 crore milestone in collections worldwide.