Rajinikanth was the First Choice for Jayaram’s Character in Parimala & Co: Director Pandiraj

Director Pandiraj had written the script for Parimala & Co with a very different actor in mind. Speaking to Behindwoods, he revealed that his first instinct after finishing the screenplay was that Rajinikanth would be ideal for the lead. Then he considered Kamal Haasan — specifically the relaxed, understated register Kamal brought to Paapanaasam. Neither worked out. It was only after setting both names aside that Jayaram’s name surfaced in his mind. “He could pull it off easily,” Pandiraj said. That was the end of the confusion on the hero front.

The heroine front had no confusion at all. Urvashi was fixed from the very first day of writing, and Pandiraj made no attempt to consider alternatives. “I was ready to wait as long as needed for Urvashi mami. I simply could not think of anyone else in that role,” he said. The title teaser of Parimala & Co, which reunites Jayaram and Urvashi — one of Malayalam cinema’s most beloved pairings — drew an immediate response when it dropped, with the hype around the film spiking on the strength of that one clip alone.

A Pattern Pandiraj Follows

This casting philosophy is not new for him. On Thalaivan Thalaivi, last year’s major commercial success, he said he had considered multiple actors for the male lead but had only one name in mind for the heroine — Nithya Menen. “The character Kalaivarasi was made extraordinary by Nithya,” he said. The pattern is consistent: Pandiraj writes female characters first with a specific actor locked in, and works outward from there.

Parimala & Co is described by Pandiraj as a fun ride for all kinds of audiences — comedy-led, with small emotional moments woven in. After the commercial credibility Thalaivan Thalaivi restored following the misfired Etharkkum Thunindhavan with Suriya, the film arrives with genuine anticipation. Lyca Productions is behind it.

Jayaram and Urvashi on screen together, in a Tamil film, directed by someone who said he couldn’t imagine the film existing without both of them. That is, on paper, a combination that sells itself.