Filmmaker RS Durai Senthilkumar, who is gearing up for the release of Leader starring Legend Saravanan this Friday, recently opened up about the shortcomings of his 2015 film Kaaki Sattai during promotions.

In an interview, the director revealed that Kaaki Sattai was initially written for Dhanush, with a much more serious second half. However, the project eventually took shape with Sivakarthikeyan in the lead, following his success as a commercial comedy hero post Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam.

Durai Senthilkumar explained that he received feedback to make the film more entertaining rather than serious to suit Sivakarthikeyan’s image. “I had to change the film for him, but that didn’t quite work out,” he admitted, adding that he realised the issue only after the film’s release.

He further shared that he was not fully satisfied even during the shoot, particularly with certain portions involving Manobala. “I was not happy with those scenes while filming itself,” he noted, calling the alterations to the script a key mistake.

Durai Senthilkumar began his directorial journey with Ethir Neechal, followed by Kaaki Sattai, and later collaborated with Dhanush on Kodi and Pattas. His recent film Garudan, starring Soori and Sasikumar, turned out to be both a commercial and critical success.

His upcoming film Leader, which he has directed, features Legend Saravanan in the lead, who is also producing the project under Saravana Stores Productions. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Shaam, Andrea, Santhosh Prathap, Payal Rajput, Lal, Amritha Aiyer, VTV Ganesh, and others.

With music by Ghibran and technical support from Venkatesh S (cinematography), Pradeep E Ragav (editing), G Durairaj (art direction), and Mahesh Mathew (stunts), Leader is set to hit theatres on April 3.