Meiyazhagan actor Arvind Swamy's biggest career regret: Losing Maanaadu to SJ Suryah

Actor Arvind Swamy recently revealed that losing the role of DCP Dhanushkodi in Maanaadu to SJ Suryah remains one of his biggest regrets. During an interaction, Arvind reflected on how much he was drawn to Venkat Prabhu's script, which revolves around a time loop where a sociopathic, power-hungry police officer becomes trapped in a series of recurring events.

Arvind shared that Maanaadu was one of those rare scripts that compelled him to put all his other commitments on hold. “When we are free, we choose the best ones from what we have been offered. Say I’m working on a project now, and after one and a half years, I want to act again. Will I get the best script at that point? Maybe not. But Maanaadu was the kind of script that only comes once in 10 years. I was ready to take it on, but due to scheduling conflicts, I needed one more month. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t wait, and they went ahead. I respect their decision, but I haven’t been able to watch the movie yet because I was so immersed in that character. I can’t bring myself to see someone else play it,” he explained.

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Maanaadu went through its own production hurdles, with lead actor Silambarasan (Simbu) and producer Suresh Kamatchi involved in a public fallout, which led to delays. However, when the two reached a compromise, the project swiftly resumed, and SJ Suryah took on the role of DCP Dhanushkodi. Suryah’s performance was widely praised and became a career-defining role for him.

Reflecting on his career, Arvind also mentioned another script that has left a lasting impression on him. “I was similarly taken with Meiyazhagan (written and directed by C. Prem Kumar). It’s a beautiful script,” he noted. Meiyazhagan, where Arvind shares screen space with Karthi, is set to hit theatres on September 27, and the actor seems optimistic about its reception.

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