Director Ashwath Marimuthu called Dharman a "historic moment" for Tamil cinema at the film's launch event, describing the opportunity to direct a Rajinikanth film produced by Kamal Haasan as extraordinary. "Every filmmaker dreams of making a film with Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. We are blessed to witness and be a part of this," he said.

Ashwath revealed that Dharman will have eight songs spanning different genres, marking his first collaboration with composer Anirudh Ravichander. "This is going to be an agmark Anirudh album," he said. Filming begins Thursday with Rajinikanth's introductory song, and the director confirmed that every character in the film carries a unique identity, promising further details later.

He also shared warm anecdotes about working with both legends. Kamal Haasan, he said, immediately put him at ease during their first meeting by simply saying "I am a Rajini fan. Do a Rajini film." Rajinikanth, meanwhile, sent him a voice note encouraging him to win and gave him complete creative freedom, saying he would offer ideas like an associate director but the final call would always be Ashwath's.

Addressing speculation, Ashwath clarified that the film is not based on the popular Rs 5 Doctor, describing it instead as "the deadly and thrilling story of Doctor Swag Dharman, with strong family emotions woven into it." He cited Padayappa and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu as creative references, calling the film a blend of both worlds.