Filmmaker Gautham Menon’s ambitious project Dhruva Natchathiram, starring Chiyaan Vikram, has been in production for almost a decade now, facing endless delays. The unprecedented delay had led many fans to believe that the project was shelved, but both Vikram and Gautham Menon have assured fans that the film is happening. The director is currently sorting out the many legal issues surrounding the film and a release date has still not been announced.. However, the initial delay for the film took place when the original actor with whom Gautham announced the project left it.
Gautham Menon had announced Dhruva Natchathiram with Suriya way back in 2013. Soon, creative differences between the both cropped up. Although Suriya initially agreed to star in it, he reportedly backed out because Gautham Menon failed to provide a proper script for his idea. Gautham Menon, in a previous interview, had opened up about why Suriya left the project. The narrative of the film followed an 11-member vigilante team set up after the Mumbai attacks, 10 of whom report to one guy who is a leader of sorts. But when he told Suriya about the story, Suriya reportedly said that there was no reference point to it.
Suriya reportedly told the director that since such a team did not exist in real life and he was making it up, people would question its authenticity. Suriya said he wanted a more realistic approach to the film. Despite Gautham Menon’s assurance that the film would be realistic, things did not fall into place. The director shelved the film. Three years later, in 2016, he casually talked about the project with Vikram and he immediately agreed to do the film, reviving the project.
The film began production in 2017 and was shot in seven countries but entered development hell because of Gautham Menon’s financial constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic, before concluding in February 2023. Due to lingering financial and legal issues, the film remains unreleased.
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