Chandramukhi 2 actor Raghava Lawrence opens up about bowing out of Vikram

Raghava Lawrence is currently gearing up to appear in Chandramukhi 2. The upcoming Tamil film will feature Kangana Ranaut as the titular character and is the sequel to the 2005 film Chandramukhi. Ahead of the first look trailer for Chandramukhi 2, Lawrence reflected on being offered the role of Santhanam in Vikram, and why he chose to not do it. 

3 things you need to know: 

• Vikram was initially expected to feature Lawrence as Santhanam.
• The role went to Vijay Sethupathi.
• Lawrence is said to be working on another film with Lokesh Kanagaraj.

Lawrence on why he didn’t go with Vikram

During a recent interview with a media portal, Lawrence revealed that he was initially asked to play Santhanam. However, he turned down the offer because he felt that the amount of gore and violence that was written into the character wouldn’t have received attention from family audiences. 

(Raghava is set to team up with Lokesh Kanagaraj for another project | Image: IMDb)

Eventually, the role was passed down to Vijay Sethupathi, who made for a formidable antagonist in the film. Vikram was also a massive hit among worldwide audiences and made more than Rs 430 crore throughout its theatrical run. It is also deemed as a massive comeback for Kamal Haasan. However, there is another collaboration between Lokesh and Lawrence in the works. They will both be working on an untitled film which has been written by the Kaithi filmmaker and will be directed and bankrolled by him. 

Trailer for Chandramukhi 2 is out 

The first trailer for Chandramukhi 2 has been released. The film features Kangana Ranaut in the lead role, while Raghava will be playing the role of Vettaiyan Raja.

The film also features Vadivelu as Murugesan, and others such as Raadhuka Sarathkumar, Lakshmi Menon, Srushti Dange and others. It will be released in theatres on September 19.