Director Keerthiswaran openly admits that Arya 2 planted the confidence in him to convert an unconventional thought into a commercial movie and that thought eventually became Dude. His debut film caught instant attention for its bold twist where the protagonist marries a woman and then tries to unite her with her boyfriend. In a conversation with Ram Venkat Srikar, he shared how he transformed a risky premise into a successful emotional entertainer.
Keerthiswaran believes true heroism is not defined by winning the girl or fighting villains, but by the hero’s pure intent. He says mass is not in situation but in intention and he built Gagan as a noble character whose selfless decision to stand by the girl’s happiness makes him a hero. Even though many feared the hero would become a comedy piece because of the premise, he shaped the narrative with mass moments, humour and emotional depth to balance the shock factor.
The film started with one strong visual in the director’s mind, the thali moment followed by a chase. From there, the emotional layers grew naturally while writing. His first draft was raw expression, emotional and chaotic, purely from the heart. The final shooting draft was more engineered for clarity, logic and audience-friendly communication. Keerthiswaran also revealed that certain parallel tracks, especially the Pari Kural love story, had to be simplified due to time and focus, calling it collateral damage.
As a lifelong Rajinikanth admirer, he tried to merge the superstar’s nobility and selflessness with today’s sensibilities to avoid cringe and still preserve dignity. The film never aimed to unite Gagan with Nisha; instead, it focused on the hero’s spiritual clarity. Keerthiswaran ends with a life thought – not all breakups need explanations, sadness must be felt and then one must move on.