The 2015 Tamil film Thani Oruvan, featuring Jayam Ravi in the lead role, became one of the most successful movies in Tamil cinema that year. Directed by Mohana Raja, also known for his work in Telugu cinema with movies like Godfather and Hanuman Junction, Thani Oruvan was later remade in Telugu as Dhruva with Ram Charan playing the protagonist. This Telugu version also turned out to be a major hit. However, few people know that the original plan was to cast Prabhas in the lead role for Thani Oruvan.
In a recent interview, Mohana Raja revealed that while writing the script for Thani Oruvan, he initially envisioned Prabhas playing the central character. Mohana Raja approached Prabhas with the script, and although Prabhas appreciated the storyline, he decided not to take up the role due to his career plans at that time. As a result, Mohana Raja eventually chose his brother, Jayam Ravi, for the role, leading to the film’s significant success.
After this revelation, many of Prabhas’s fans speculated that if Prabhas had taken up the role, it could have been another milestone in his career. Despite this, the movie’s success with Jayam Ravi in the lead was undeniable.
When Thani Oruvan was later remade into Telugu as Dhruva, there was some initial confusion about whether Mohana Raja would direct the remake. However, due to undisclosed reasons, the director’s chair was given to Surender Reddy, who then successfully helmed the project. Surender Reddy, who also directed the Telugu version of Lucifer, titled Godfather, took over the responsibility and made Dhruva another hit.
It remains unclear whether Prabhas was ever approached for Dhruva, but it seems that Prabhas was engaged with other commitments at the time. This led to Ram Charan stepping into the role, which he portrayed with great success.
Today, Prabhas continues to achieve blockbuster status with his latest film Kalki 2898 AD. He has several upcoming projects lined up, including Kalki 2, Raja Saab, Spirit, and an untitled project with Hanu Raghavapudi.
On the other hand, director Mohana Raja is reportedly planning a sequel to Thani Oruvan. If this sequel performs well at the box office, it might pave the way for a sequel to Dhruva in Telugu as well.
