Director Adhik Ravichandran has revealed that Malayalam actor Naslen was considered for the role of Ajith Kumar's son in Good Bad Ugly, but that he was the one who advised against the casting. In a recent interview with Behindwoods, the filmmaker explained why he was against the idea of casting the Premalu actor.
Recounting how the conversation came about, Adhik said that the team at Mythri Movie Makers, which produced Good Bad Ugly, had approached him when they were in the process of casting Mamitha Baiju for Dude. Since Naslen was in Chennai at the time, the production house had asked to meet him as well.
“I also met him and told him that I was doing Ajith Kumar sir's film. I myself told Mythri not to cast Naslen as Ajith sir's son, as he was already playing a hero and there wasn't much space for that character. If it had been a full-fledged father-son film, we could have done it with Naslen,” the director said.
Good Bad Ugly, which marked the first collaboration between Adhik and Ajith, revolved around a former gangster who returns to his violent past to save his son after the latter is framed in a criminal case. The role eventually went to Karthikeya Dev, who played Ajith's on-screen son, Vihaan. The film also featured Trisha, Arjun Das, Sunil, Prabhu and Prasanna, among others.
Naslen, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the prominent young actors in Malayalam cinema, with films such as Premalu and Alappuzha Gymkhana bringing him wider recognition.
Adhik is currently preparing for his next collaboration with Ajith, titled Daredevil. The film marks their second outing together after Good Bad Ugly and is produced by Shalini Ajith Kumar under the banner of Brave Hearts Production. Its cast includes Sreeleela, Parthiban, Prabhu, Sunil and Unni Mukundan.
The film's technical team includes composer Anirudh Ravichander, cinematographer Abhinandhan Ramanujam, editor Vijay Velukutty and stunt choreographer Supreme Sundar. The project is scheduled to begin its regular shooting schedule in Hyderabad on November 12.