Superstar Mahesh Babu was the original choice for the upcoming science fiction thriller 24. However, Mahesh had turned down the offer since he didn't like the second half. Then, Vikram Kumar approached Suriya who accepted to do the movie.

This is the second time; Suriya accepted a film that was actually rejected by Mahesh Babu. Previously, Tamil director Lingusamy approached Mahesh Babu with an action story. When Mahesh Babu said no, Lingusamy made the film Sikandar (Anjaan in Tamil) with Suriya.

It is learnt that, Mahesh Babu actually loved the first half of 24. But, he wasn't too convinced with the second half. Although the Srimanthudu star likes experimenting with innovative scripts, he refused 24, since he found loopholes in the script.

Vikram Kumar is known for narrating complicated stories in simple manner and Manam is the best example. In fact, Mahesh showed interest to team up with the director, but things didn't materialize.

Meanwhile, 24, the film that shows Suriya in triple roles- as elder brother, younger brother and son of elder brother is scheduled for release on April 14th.