Thudarum: NOT Shobana but Jyothika was first choice for Mohanlal’s upcoming crime drama?

Mohanlal’s upcoming film Thudarum marks his reunion with senior actress Shobana after 15 years. The two had notably starred in the iconic film Manichitrathazhu, among others. Ahead of the release of the upcoming crime drama, the director shockingly reveals how the yesteryear diva was not the first choice of actress the makers had in mind.

Speaking with Red FM in a recent interview, filmmaker Tharun Moorthy highlighted that the team was unsure about how to reach out to Shobana for the role of Lalitha in Thudarum. As a result, they were ready to consider none other than Jyothika for the part. 

Tharun said, “Shobana was always who we had in mind for Lalitha. But we weren’t sure how to get in touch with her. So we began exploring alternatives and decided on Jyothika.”

Moving on, the filmmaker recalled narrating the script to Jyothika, who was extremely impressed with the story. But while she agreed to do the film, she was rendered unavailable during the shooting period since she had a planned family world tour at that slot.

Adding how they eventually circled back to Shobana once more, Tharun Moorthy said, “That question kept lingering in my mind—wouldn’t Mohanlal and Shobana be the combination that Malayali viewers most want to see?”

Coming back to the film, it is slated for a theatrical release on April 25, 2025, after much conflict over its scheduling and successive delays. 

Besides Mohanlal and Shobana, the movie also stars Farhaan Faasil, Maniyanpilla Raju, Binu Pappu, Irshad Ali, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Thomas Mathew, Krishna Prabha, Prakash Varma and Aravind.

Thudarum’s storyline is written by K.R. Sunil, while its music is composed by Jakes Bejoy. It is produced jointly by Mohanlal’s production house, Aashirvad Cinemas, along with Rejaputhra Release.

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