Over a Zoom call, Ranjith narrated the period actioner’s idea and his character of a British police officer. Caltagirone admits he had concerns initially, but they were quelled as soon as he heard the narration. “I thought I’d be portrayed as the cliché English character who plays an out-and-out bad guy and then disappears. But Ranjith wanted me to be the co-star to Vikram. I didn’t know who Vikram was at that point, but I assumed he was a big Indian star. Ranjith said, ‘I don’t want to go black-and-white with you. This will be a fleshed out character.’”

Thangalaan also became an opportunity for Caltagirone to understand the caste system prevalent in India. “Ranjith would talk to me about breaking the final chains of the caste system. We spoke about how it’s subtle in the West and that’s why we have no right to say that the West is ahead of others. It’d be easier for Ranjith to become this wealthy filmmaker, who does glossy films, but he has always made films about people who lead difficult lives.”