Director Tharun Moorthy shared memories of veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja's final acting role in the upcoming film 'Thudarum' alongside actor Mohanlal.
Bharathiraja passed away at age 84 on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
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The late filmmaker portrayed Stunt Master Palani Swamy, a mentor and father figure to Mohanlal's character Benz alias Shanmugham.
Moorthy revealed he envisioned Bharathiraja for the role during the scriptwriting phase.
"During the writing stages of 'Thudarum' itself, I wanted Bharathiraja sir to play the role. Even before meeting him, I had cast him in my mind," Moorthy said.
The production team used photographs of Bharathiraja during early filming before formally delivering the narration 50 days later.
Moorthy noted that Bharathiraja's primary motivation to join was the opportunity to collaborate with Mohanlal.
"It wasn't that 'Thudarum' was my movie that excited him. It was Mohanlal sir," Moorthy recalled.
According to Moorthy, Bharathiraja joined the cast out of a desire to share screen space with his co-star.
Mutual admiration existed between the two icons throughout production.
"He told me he agreed to do the film so that he could share screen space with Mohanlal, talk to him and hold hands with him," Moorthy said.
Moorthy observed that Bharathiraja felt fortunate to act alongside Mohanlal, who expressed the same sentiment. "He would say it was his luck.
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Mohanlal sir would say it was indeed his luck," Moorthy added.
Bharathiraja faced physical strain and memory issues during filming, requiring multiple medications. Despite these challenges, Moorthy reported that the veteran remained committed and never disrupted the schedule.
Moorthy insisted on using Bharathiraja's authentic voice for the character rather than hiring a dubbing artist. "I wanted him to dub because he has a registered voice.
I didn't think someone else dubbing for him would make the character complete," Moorthy said.
To facilitate dubbing, Moorthy sat beside Bharathiraja and whispered each line into his ear. The veteran then repeated the dialogue to complete the voice track for Palani Swamy.
The emotional depth of the character mirrored real-life sentiments during a scene where Palani Swamy gifts his prized car to his student.
After the recording session, Moorthy re-narrated the full plot to Bharathiraja.
"He got very emotional and said he could personally connect with it," Moorthy recalled.
The conversation concluded with philosophical insights from Bharathiraja about the cyclical nature of success and life.
"He told me the film conveys the idea that if you are a hero once, you will be a zero next, and if you are a zero, you will be a hero next.
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The ultimate goal is to be human," Moorthy said.
