Before the release of Thunivu, MovieCrow had suspected that actor Ajith would be playing a no-name character in the movie, based on the buzz surrounding the film's release and Thunivu trailer. Thunivu had Ajith's character being referred to as daredevil, chief, partner, even Michael Jackson (MJ) but his real name is never revealed in the movie.

Similarly in the recently released Hindi movie Pathaan, lead actor Shah Rukh Khan is referred by the honorary title given in Afghanistan, after he saves a bunch of civilians in that country. Shah Rukh's character is understood to be an orphan and his real name is never revealed in the spy-action thriller.

This trend of a lead actor's character going by aliases, and not being given a proper name was popularized by 1973 Hollywood film High Plaints Drifter, in which actor Clint Eastwood played a no-name character that simply went by 'The Stranger'. Seemingly this trend is picking up in India in 2023.