Nayanthara will reunite with Rajinikanth in Dharman, the Ashwath Marimuthu film produced by Raaj Kamal Films International (RKFI). Her casting was confirmed by director Ashwath Marimuthu on X on October 25 at 7:13 PM IST, when he wrote "Welcome on board @NayantharaU mam". Earlier that day, RKFI had posted a black-and-white poster of a pair of eyes on a camera monitor, with the line "Some Eyes say it all 🔥 THE CHARISMA ARRIVES I Today at 7:02 PM".
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Dharman is her sixth film with Rajinikanth, counting a song appearance in Sivaji. Here is how the earlier five played out.
Film: Dharman
Director: Ashwath Marimuthu
Producers: Raaj Kamal Films International, with Turmeric Media's R Mahendran as co-producer
Cast: Rajinikanth, Nayanthara (confirmed by director Ashwath Marimuthu), Simran, Raashii Khanna, Yogi Babu
Music: Anirudh
Release: Not announced
Chandramukhi (2005)
Their first film together paired her with Rajinikanth as the lead. She played Durga in Chandramukhi, and it remains the most substantial of their early collaborations, with her as his on-screen pair.
Sivaji: The Boss (2007)
Sivaji was not a role in the usual sense. Nayanthara made a special appearance in the song "Balleilakka", where she appeared as herself.
Kuselan (2008)
Kuselan, a Tamil-Telugu bilingual released in Telugu as Kathanayakudu, was another guest appearance. She played herself in the film, not the female lead.
Darbar (2020)
After a gap of more than a decade, the two worked together again in Darbar. Nayanthara played Lilly, in what is described as a supporting role.
Annaatthe (2021)
A year later came Annaatthe, in which she played a lawyer, Adv. Pattammal, according to reports.
What the pattern says
Read together, the five films show a partnership that has changed shape over two decades. It began with a full lead role in Chandramukhi, moved through two cameo-style appearances, and returned to proper roles in Darbar and Annaatthe. Dharman would be the first time they share the screen since 2021.
Dharman so far
RKFI's post tags director Ashwath Marimuthu, Turmeric Media and R Mahendran, along with Simran, Raashii Khanna and Yogi Babu. Anirudh is tagged as the composer. Simran plays the female lead, according to reports. The makers have not announced a release date.
The Kerala connection
For Malayalam audiences, Nayanthara is one of their own. She hails from Thiruvalla in Kerala, and her film career began in Malayalam with Manassinakkare (2003), directed by Sathyan Anthikad.
Nayanthara also has Mookuthi Amman 2 coming up, which Bhavana Release brings to Kerala on November 6, as we reported.
Also read: Mookuthi Amman 2: Bhavana Release takes Nayanthara film to Kerala on Nov 6
