Maniratnam approached Mammootty first for Iruvar

Films featuring both Mohanlal and Mammootty together have always struck a chord with our audience.
As per a report by a leading news portal, Mammootty was offered the role of Tamizh Selvan in the Mohanlal-Aishwarya Rai starrer Iruvar. Even a photo session was apparently conducted to test Mammootty’s looks for the same. As Mammootty could not take it up, it was later portrayed by Prakash Raj, who also bagged a national award for the best supporting actor for this role.