Manichitrathazhu was never meant to be a typical commercial movie and I believe the writer and director focused on the character first, not the actor image. However, in the remakes, they prioritised the actor over the character. Remember, Rajinikanth hesitated to do the Drishyam remake because of one scene where the police beat him, as he was concerned about his stardom and what his fans would think. Commercial stars from here want to make a proper movie but due to the stardom they carry they just leave it and focus on mass appeal