Etharkkum Thunindhavan

During May 2019, Suriya was reported to work on a project backed by Sun Pictures, in their third collaboration with Suriya after Ayan (2009) and Singam (2010).[9] The film was speculated to be directed by Hari, which would mark his sixth collaboration, following Aaru (2005), Vel (2007) and the Singam franchise, but he eventually exited the project without revealing the actual reasons,[9] but later collaborated with Suriya in another film which was titled Aruvaa, and was produced by Studio Green.[10] But this project was also shelved and Suriya chose to do a film with Pandiraj instead of a project with either Adanga Maru director Karthik Thangavel or an unnamed Telugu director.[11] Pandiraj earlier worked with Suriya, whose production company 2D Entertainment had backed his projects Pasanga 2, which had the latter playing a supporting character and Karthi's Kadaikutty Singam.[12][13]

On the occasion of Dusshera (25 October 2020), Sun Pictures confirmed the project under the title Suriya 40,[14] which deciphers to Suriya's 40th film as a lead actor;[15][16] it also marked Pandiraj's second film with the production house after their collaboration with Sivakarthikeyan starrer Namma Veettu Pillai.[17][18] Unlike Pandiraj's earlier films, which were based on family emotions and sentiments, this film is touted to be an action-drama film, with space for commercial elements.[6] Pandiraj reportedly wrote the story, which is based on the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case.[19][20][21] The film's title Etharkkum Thunindhavan was officially announced on the eve of Suriya's birthday (22 July 2021), which refers to the 1976 film of the same name, that starred his father Sivakumar in the lead role.[22][23]

In November 2020, Rashmika Mandanna was reported to play the female lead,[24][25] but Pandiraj refuted the rumours about the casting process.[26][27] In January 2021, the production house announced that D. Imman will compose music for the film, after the successive collaborations with Pandiraj, Kadaikkutty Singam and Namma Veettu Pillai.[28] The film marks Imman's maiden collaboration with Suriya.[29][30] The same month, Priyanka Arul Mohan was announced as the female lead, bagging her second Tamil film, following Sivakarthikeyan's Doctor (2021),[31] and Sathyaraj too joined the film in a supporting role.[32] Rajkiran was also announced a part of the film, working with Suriya after two decades, they were last seen in Nandha (2001).[33] Vadivelu was reported to work with Suriya after their last collaboration in Aadhavan (2009), but Soori was eventually announced as a part of the cast.[8] He will reportedly essay the role of the heroine's uncle in the film.[34] Despite rumours of Sarathkumar and Prasanna being offered to play the antagonist in the film, the role eventually went to Vinay Rai.[4][35] Saran Sakthi essayed a character with negative shades in the film.[36] It has been reported that the film has 40 significant characters being present in the film, including Jayaprakash, Saranya Ponvannan, Devadarshini amongst others.[7] Director-actor K. P. Jagan announced being a part of the film and also joined the second schedule in early-September 2021.[37]

The film was launched on 15 February 2021,[38] with the attendance of the principal cast and crew members, excluding Suriya as he was diagnosed with COVID-19.[39][40] The makers filmed few scenes with the ensemble cast without Suriya.[41] After recovering from COVID-19,[42] Suriya joined the film's shooting on 18 March 2021.[43] He shared the shooting still from the film at Binny Mills in Chennai on social media handles, confirming his presence.[44][45] Following a brief schedule for 21 days, the team headed to Madurai for filming major sequences during April 2021.[46][47] An action sequence with a huge crowd was planned to be filmed, but due to the restrictions imposed by the Tamil Nadu government due to the second wave of COVID-19, the plan was dropped considering the safety of the crew members working on the film.[48] By late April 2021, 35% of the film's shooting had been completed before the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed.[49]

Shooting of the film resumed on 12 July 2021, following the relaxations of COVID-19 lockdown.[50] The team filmed few scenes in Chennai instead of Karaikudi.[51] During the shooting schedule, Victor, who worked as an assistant to Pandiraj, was detained by the police in Koyambedu and seized the rifles and pistols used in the film, which were later found out to be dummies.[52] He was detained as he did not have proper documents for licensing.[53] In mid-July 2021, the team headed to Karaikkudi for shooting a 51-day long schedule with crucial sequences, and that was completed within September 2021.[54] The team then headed to Courtallam for the final and brief schedule of the film in mid-September 2021.[55]

At the end of the month, it was reported that two of the songs will be shot in Chennai and Goa, by October 2021, and upon completion of that, the team may wrap up filming.[56][57] However, one song which was directed by Jani Master was delayed, as the track had to be shot in a grand manner, with a huge star cast and also included extensive dance steps. As a result, the cast needed more time to prepare.[58][59] With the completion of patchwork scenes, the makers wrapped the shooting of the film on 10 November 2021, and Pandiraj shared the news through Twitter.[60] Post wrap-up, Suriya had gifted gold coins worth ₹1 crore (US$130,000) to the actors and technicians who worked in the film to make it a memorable experience for the team.[61][62]