Updated on: Aug 19, 2025 06:59 pm IST

In a recent interview, director AR Murugadoss revealed that Shah Rukh Khan was supposed to play the lead in Madharaasi, not Sivakarthikeyan. 

Director AR Murugadoss’ upcoming Tamil film Madharaasi, starring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role, is slated for release on 5 September. However, in a recent interview with Galatta Plus, the filmmaker revealed that he initially planned on making the film in Hindi with Shah Rukh Khan as the lead. Here’s why it didn’t pan out.

AR Murugadoss says Shah Rukh Khan was even interested in doing the film but it did not materialise. AR Murugadoss says Shah Rukh Khan was even interested in doing the film but it did not materialise. AR Murugadoss wanted Shah Rukh Khan in Madharaasi

Murugadoss was asked if the chatter about him wanting to rope in Shah Rukh for Madharaasi is true. The filmmaker admitted it’s true but claimed to have pitched only the lead character to the Bollywood star and not the whole story. He said, “I didn’t plan the whole film with Shah Rukh Khan, but I did pitch the character to him long back. I told him 7-8 years ago, and even he liked it.”

He further explained, “Back then, I only had the character…just an idea, not the full script. After watching the movie, you’ll realise what I meant by character. At that time, cinematographer Ravi K Chandran arranged a meeting for me with Shah Rukh. He was so sweet and said we’ll do the film. But the delay was very long, which is why it never materialised.”

Murugadoss also claimed that after Ghajini with Aamir Khan in 2008, he wasn’t motivated to work in Hindi. He also claimed that a lack of communication from the actor contributed to his abandoning the idea.

Upcoming work

Shah Rukh was last seen in the 2023 films Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki. He is now shooting for Siddharth Anand’s King with his daughter Suhana Khan. Murugadoss’s last film was the Salman Khan-starrer Sikandar in Hindi in March this year. The filmmaker has since been vocal about why he believes the film failed to make a mark. His upcoming film Madharaasi stars Sivakarthikeyan, Rukmini Vasanth, Vidyut Jammwal and Biju Menon in lead roles.