Actress Sai Pallavi has revealed that director Rajkumar Periasamy had more faith in her portraying an IPS officer in the upcoming Tamil-Malayalam film 'OM: Chapter 1 – Udhiram: The Blood Wood' than she herself did. The actress made the candid admission at the film's grand audio launch event held at Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, on 7 November 2025, attended by thousands of fans.

Sai Pallavi on Her Director and the Character

Speaking at the event, Sai Pallavi praised Periasamy effusively, saying, 'Rajkumar sir is amazing. I told him in the previous film that I want to be a part of his next film. Thundu potu vechen (I had booked a place). But he really made it for me. He believed in my police role more than me.' The actress also credited the stunt team for making the action sequences a memorable experience.

She added that Periasamy writes women characters with considerable depth and layering. 'Rajkumar sir has written the character with lots of layers. He is every actress's dream director, the way he writes his women characters rocks,' she said. The role marks one of the more physically demanding parts of Sai Pallavi's career, with the actress essaying a fully realised law enforcement character rather than a conventional lead.

The Unexpected Mammootty Connection

Sai Pallavi also drew laughs from the audience with a lighthearted anecdote about her previous film 'Amaran', in which her character was reportedly called 'Mammootty' throughout — only for her to now share screen space with the Malayalam legend himself in 'OM'. 'Pona padathula Mammootty Mammootty nu solli ippo Mammootty sir kooda. I don't know if I manifested it,' she said, to much applause.

'OM: Chapter 1' marks a significant pairing of Dhanush and Mammootty — two of South Indian cinema's biggest names — in a single project, with the film pitched as a large-scale action drama.

Producer Shraddha Agarwal on RTake's Biggest Film Yet

Producer Shraddha Agarwal of RTake Studios described the film as the banner's most ambitious project to date. 'Every film we have made under the RTake banner has had a special connection with Chennai, and with OM, we are taking that association to an even bigger scale. This is undoubtedly our biggest film yet,' she said.

Agarwal also reserved praise for the film's lead: 'Dhanush sir has made this journey truly wonderful with the kind of person he is, and Rajkumar sir's dedication and commitment to the film have been incredible.' She expressed hope that audience enthusiasm ahead of release would only intensify once the film reaches cinemas.

Audio Launch and Release Details

The audio launch at Sairam Engineering College drew thousands of fans and transformed into what attendees described as a larger-than-life celebration. Present on stage were Dhanush, Mammootty, Sreeleela, director Rajkumar Periasamy, producer Shraddha Agarwal, and music composer Sai Abhyankkar. The energy of the crowd underscored the significant anticipation building around the film. 'OM: Chapter 1 – Udhiram: The Blood Wood' is slated to release in theatres on 20 November 2025.