Opening up on the story discussion between him and Vijay for his then Thalapathy 65 and why things didn't materialise, AR Murugadoss shared what transpired during that time.
In a promotional interview for his upcoming film with Sivakarthikeyan, Madharaasi, the director said that Vijay really liked the script, but the project couldn't take off due to other reasons, and not because he didn't like it. "Vijay sir liked my script, but we couldn't proceed with the movie because of the market instability at that time. There was no guarantee about the returns, which is why there was also a keenness on going with a young next-gen director. That was how Nelson came in, and Beast happened. The rumours that we had differences are untrue, Vijay and I are still in a cordial relationship."
Had things fallen in place back then, the actor and director would have collaborated for the fourth time after Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), and Sarkar (2018).
He also said that he had met Vijay a few years ago and discussed the possibility of Thuppakki 2, but that wouldn't happen as the actor has floated a political party and will be involved in full-time politics after his last film, Jana Nayagan, with H Vinoth.
Produced by N Srilakshmi Prasad of Sri Lakshmi Movies, Madharaasi, that stars Rukmini Vasanth as the female lead, also has Biju Menon, Vikranth, and Shabeer Kallarakkal in pivotal roles.
Music composer Anirudh, cinematographer Sudeep Elamon, and editor A Sreekar Prasad make up Madharaasi's technical crew.
Madharaasi will release on September 5, 2025, in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. In Hindi, the film has been titled Dil Madharaasi.