After Petta's Bit Part, Simran Gets Weight in Dharman

Simran has joined the cast of Dharman, and the detail that matters is the size of the part. She has shared a frame with Rajinikanth before, in Petta back in 2019, but that was a brief appearance. This time the role carries weight, and the film puts her opposite him with proper screen space rather than a passing scene.

She has been candid about the difference. “Sharing substantial screen space with Rajinikanth sir has always been one of them,” she said of her long-held wishes. “While I had the privilege of appearing alongside him in Petta, it was a brief yet memorable experience. Today, I feel truly grateful to be part of Dharman in a role that carries so much depth and significance.” The gap between a memorable cameo and a character with something to play is the whole point of the casting.

Dharman is directed by Ashwath Marimuthu, who made Oh My Kadavule and the Pradeep Ranganathan hit Dragon, and is produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Kamal Haasan’s banner. It arrives as Rajinikanth is coming off Coolie, keeping him firmly at the centre of the year’s biggest releases, and Simran walking into that orbit in a written-for role rather than a guest slot is its own kind of statement.

The timing has a neat symmetry. Simran made her Tamil debut on July 4, 1997, with Once More and V.I.P. released the same day. Dharman lands her back with Rajinikanth almost exactly 29 years later, and the through-line of her career, from romantic lead to dancer to the mature, layered roles she has taken on since, has been a refusal to coast on the old hits. A substantial part in a Rajinikanth film, at this stage, is the version of that refusal that travels furthest.