There have been recent reports saying that initially Vijay wasn't in the reckoning for the character Rayappan in Atlee's Bigil but after seeing photos of Sushant Singh Rajput of his older version in Chhichhore, it was decided that Thalapathy would do the role himself.
However, Archana Kalpathi of AGS Cinemas, who produced the movie, has denied the same. She affirms that Rayappan wasn't inspired by the late actor but rather the same make-up artist worked on both films.
Bigil also marked the reunion of Vijay with Nayanthara after Villu and did well at the box office. It released last Deepavali alongside Karthi's Kaithi, which also did well at the box office.