Ram Pothineni Reportedly Set for Key Role Opposite Rajinikanth in ‘Dharman’

Superstar Rajinikanth's movie likely to have Ram Pothineni playing a key role.

The Telugu actor is being linked to a pivotal antagonist role in Rajinikanth’s Ashwath Marimuthu film, although the makers have yet to officially announce his casting.

Ram Pothineni could be heading for one of the most unexpected casting choices of his career, with fresh reports linking the Telugu actor to a major role opposite Rajinikanth in Dharman.

Industry reports over the past few days have claimed that Ram is being brought in as a key antagonist in the Ashwath Marimuthu directorial. Some reports go further, saying his character is Rajinikanth’s son-in-law and that the film’s central conflict will involve an intense father-in-law-versus-son-in-law dynamic. As of August 21, however, Raaj Kamal Films International has not publicly announced Ram as part of the cast or confirmed those character details.

There is nevertheless growing reporting around Ram’s involvement. A Times of India report published Friday said a source close to the production had confirmed that Ram would play a significant role in the film. That report stopped short of an official production-house announcement, making it prudent to treat the precise nature of his character as unconfirmed for now.

If the antagonist reports prove accurate, Dharman would give Ram a relatively unusual assignment: instead of carrying a commercial Telugu film entirely as its hero, he would be sharing the dramatic conflict with Rajinikanth in a major Tamil production. It would also extend Ram’s presence in Tamil cinema after the Telugu-Tamil bilingual The Warriorr in 2022.

There has also been conflicting chatter about who was considered for the role before Ram. The supplied reports name Vikram, but more recent coverage from NDTV and Telugu industry media specifically identifies Dhruv Vikram, not Chiyaan Vikram, as the actor who was reportedly approached first. None of those casting discussions has been officially confirmed by the producers.

What is confirmed is that Dharman is Rajinikanth’s 173rd film and is directed by Oh My Kadavule and Dragon filmmaker Ashwath Marimuthu. Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran are producing the film through Raaj Kamal Films International. Simran, Raashii Khanna and Yogi Babu are among the announced cast, while Anirudh Ravichander is composing the music. The production moved into its second shooting schedule earlier this month.

Raashii Khanna has already spoken publicly about working on Dharman, describing her character as being at the film’s “emotional core.” Reports that she plays Rajinikanth’s daughter — and therefore Ram’s partner if the son-in-law storyline is accurate — have not yet received equivalent official confirmation.

For Ram, the timing makes the possible Dharman assignment particularly interesting. He is simultaneously making his directorial debut with his 23rd film, currently referred to as RAPO23. Ram is writing, directing and starring in the psychological action thriller, with his brother Krishna Pothineni producing it under the new Rapo Cinematics banner. The film began production in June and moved to a Pondicherry schedule in August.

That makes the Rajinikanth film more than just another addition to Ram’s slate. If the casting is formally announced, it would arrive at a point when the actor is clearly experimenting with both his on-screen image and his role behind the camera.

For now, however, the most important piece is still awaited: an official word from the Dharman team confirming Ram Pothineni and revealing exactly what part he will play.