Dhanush’s 50th film as an actor and second film as a director, Raayan, hit screens last Friday. The film also starred Sundeep Kishan, Kalidas Jayaram and Dushara Vijayan in the lead roles and received a good response. But did you know that Vishnu Vishal’s name was once associated with the project? 

When Vishnu Vishal turned down Raayan

In June 2023, there were reports of Vishnu being roped in to star in Dhanush’s 50th project. After a few days of speculation, the actor took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that while he would’ve loved to be a part of the film, he couldn’t say yes due to prior work commitments.

He wrote, “Unfortunately all the rumours which are doing rounds about me being a part of ‘the movie’ is untrue…Although i would have loved to be a part of it..Just to clarify…I could not accomodate it because of my other commitments…Best wishes to the team..Sorry to all the fans.”

While the actor did not mention which movie he was speaking about, everyone understood that it was Raayan. Buzz is that he was supposed to play the role that eventually went to Sundeep.

After the 2022 film Gatta Kushti, Vishnu signed Dhanush’s ex-wife, Aishwarya Rajinikanth’s Lal Salaam, which also starred Rajinikanth. Vishal will soon be seen in films titled Mohandas and Aaryan.

About Raayan

Raayan, which also stars SJ Suryah, follows Kathavaraayan aka Raayan, a hotel owner in Chennai who hunts down the gangs who earlier ruined his family. 

Mahesh Babu reviewed the film, writing on X, “#Raayan…. Stellar act by@dhanushkraja… brilliantly directed and performed. Outstanding performances by @iam_SJSuryah, @prakashraaj, @sundeepkishan, and the entire cast. An electrifying score by the maestro @arrahman. (fire emojis) A must-watch…Congratulations to the entire team!”