'Thudarum', directed by Tharun Moorthy, is currently one of the most eagerly awaited films in Malayalam cinema. One of the biggest highlights of the film is that it reunites Mohanlal and Shobana on screen after a gap of 15 years. The crime drama centres around the life of an ordinary taxi driver and promises an emotionally engaging narrative.

Recently, director Tharun Moorthy’s remarks about the casting of the film’s female lead have been making waves on social media. In an interview with Red FM, he revealed that Shobana was not the confirmed choice initially.
Tharun explained that while Shobana was always their first preference for the role of Lalitha, the team was unsure about how to reach her. This uncertainty led them to consider other options and eventually land on Jyothika. “Shobana was always who we had in mind for Lalitha. But we weren’t sure how to get in touch with her. So we began exploring alternatives and decided on Jyothika,” he said.

According to the director, Jyothika was very impressed after hearing the story. “She loved the story and even asked why such films aren’t made in Tamil,” Tharun recalled. Although she agreed to do the film, she had a family world tour planned during the scheduled shoot period, which caused a conflict.

Even as the team explored options, Tharun admitted he couldn’t shake the thought that the Mohanlal–Shobana pairing would be the one the Malayalam audience would be most excited about. “That question kept lingering in my mind—wouldn’t Mohanlal and Shobana be the combination that Malayali viewers most want to see?” he said.

Eventually, Jyothika herself informed the team that coordinating her travel and shoot schedules would be difficult. That’s when they decided to approach Shobana once again. After listening to the script, Shobana liked it and readily agreed to take on the role.

Another noteworthy detail shared by Tharun is that Shobana will be dubbing for her character herself—something she was genuinely excited and happy about.
In addition to Mohanlal and Shobana, 'Thudarum' also features Maniyanpilla Raju, Binu Pappu, Irshad, and Thomas Mathew in key roles. The film is produced by M Ranjith under the banner of Rajaputhra Visual Media and is set to hit theatres on April 25.

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