Why Mani Ratnam replaced Fahad Fazil with Arun Vijay in his next big budget movie?

Fahad Fazil
Fahad Fazil IANS

After months of anxious wait, Mani Ratnam finally unveiled the title of his upcoming movie on Friday. The film which is being titled 'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam' is loaded with an ensemble star cast including Aravind Swamy, Silambarasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Arun Vijay and Jyothika.

Previously, several reports had surfaced stating that Mollywood star Fahad Fazil will also play a crucial role in this flick. But as the film's cast was revealed on Friday, Fahad's name was missing, and it pulled the fans of the star to a state of disappointment.

Date clashes or problems with remuneration?

During the initial stages of discussion, Mani Ratnam has considered Fahad Fazil to do an important role in this project and even narrated the script to the actor. The actor was reportedly impressed with the storyline of the movie and gave a positive nod. But the shooting of 'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam' was delayed due to various reasons, and in the meantime, Fahad gave his dates to a movie named 'Trance'.

However, many rumors have also started surfacing on the internet stating that remuneration issues have compelled Fahad to take a back from the Mani Ratnam movie.

As Fahad declined the offer from Mani Ratnam, the director replaced him with Arun Vijay.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam: A star studden affair

For Mani Ratnam, directing a multi-star movie is not a new affair. Previously, he has directed starstudded films like Thalapathi (Rajinikanth and Mammootty), Aaytha Ezhuthu (R Madhavan, Suriya, and Siddharth), and Raavanan (Vikram and Prithviraj Sukumaran).

Apart from the lead cast comprising of top brass actors, 'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam' also stars Aditi Rao Hydari, Aishwarya Ramesh, Prakash Raj, Thyagarajan, Mansoor Ali Khan and Jaya Sudha. The film will be an intense crime drama set in the backdrop of Chennai.

A R Rahman will compose the music for this film.