Thalaivar 173, starring Rajinikanth and produced by Kamal Haasan, saw two director changes before it was finally announced in June that it would be titled Dharman and directed by Ashwath Marimuthu. Now, amid rumours of an on-set rift between the star and filmmaker, Rajinikanth’s team shut them down, stating that the actor is ‘comfortable and happy’ on set.
In November 2025, it was announced that Sundar C would direct a project starring Rajinikanth, produced by Kamal. Dharman is now slated for release in January 2027. Apart from this, Rajinikanth will soon star in Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer 2 , which is hitting screens on October 15.
In January this year, the duo announced that Cibi Chakaravarthi would be helming the film. But after months of rumours, they announced the film’s title in June, with Ashwath as the director. Rajinikanth clarified during the announcement that Sundar had exited the project due to other commitments and that Cibi’s film required extensive shooting time and budget.
A member of Rajinikanth’s PR team publicly shut down these rumours. Stating that they have firsthand experience of the working atmosphere of Dharman, they wrote in Tamil, “This is completely incorrect information. I have witnessed firsthand over many days of shooting that Thalaivar feels very comfortable and happy working with director @Dir_Ashwath, thanks to his dynamic working style. The film Dharman is progressing well, rapidly, and excellently. But he exited the project days after citing ‘unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances’. Simran, Raashii Khanna and Yogi Babu also star in it. Recently, leaks from the set showed Ram Pothineni and Sreeleela shooting for the film as well. An official announcement on their casting has yet to be made. The first look at the film showed Rajinikanth in blue scrubs, a bloody scalpel in his hand. Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, and Mirnaa are reprising their roles while Shiva Rajkumar, Mohanlal and Jackie Shroff return for cameos. Vidya Balan, SJ Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Anna Rajan and Jatin Sarna are joining the cast.
During the release of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie last year, Rajinikanth and Kamal kept teasing a collaboration.
