Tamil actor Soori, awaiting the discharge of Maaman, on Tuesday responded to the criticism that his 2024 movie Kottukkaaliobtained and opened up on whether or not he would take on one other such experiment. For the unversed, the movie’s director, PS Vinothraj, had said that Soori could by no means do one other Kottukkaali.
The 2024 movie earned vital acclaim globally and did phenomenally within the competition circuit. Even upon its launch in India, critics hailed it as top-of-the-line movies of the yr.
However, to a lot shock, the movie was met with overwhelming criticism from the audiences and tanked on the field workplace. Criticising its art-house sensibilities as unfit for business consumption, many even slammed Soori and Vinothraj for making the movie. The response triggered a debate on the usual of mainstream cinema consumed and whether or not efforts like Kottukkaali wanted to be inspired. The controversy additional blew up when filmmaker Ameer Sultan criticised producer Sivakarthikeyan for releasing an artwork home movie in theatres, an act he mentioned was “a kind of violence against Soori.”
In December 2024, in an interview with Cinema Express, Vinothraj opened up on the controversy and mentioned that Soori could by no means do one other movie like Kottukkaali. “Soori was so confident in that film. He put so much effort, and his performance is irreplaceable. However, he didn’t get enough credit for it. Instead, they asked why he chose to do a film like this. Obviously, he would question himself, right? Also, he is an artist who has struggled hard to reach the place he is in, and so he won’t do a film like that again,” mentioned Vinothraj.
Now, in an interview with The Hindu, Soori disagreed with Vinothraj and mentioned he would select an analogous script if it spoke to him. “We just need to be clear and honest about the kind of film it is, about how it deserves to be made and how it should be released.”
The Viduthalai-star added that field workplace collections can’t be used as a metric to measure the success of such off-beat makes an attempt. “Kottukkaali will be one of the most important films in my career and one of the most favourite films of my life. I will always carry Kottukkaali on my hips and admire it; I won’t even place it on the ground. Pandi, the character I played, stands tall in my heart, and so if Vinoth has another such story, and if I like that story, I would love to do it,” he mentioned, earlier than stating the vital acclaim Kottukkaali bought within the world area.
“It’s just that the audiences here felt it lacked some commercial aspects. That doesn’t mean filmmakers like Vinothraj should discontinue their efforts. They should continue doing more such films,” he mentioned.
Rooted deep in its milieu, Kottukkaali revolved round a younger woman (performed by Anna Ben) who’s forcibly taken to an exorcist as a result of she is in love with a person from an oppressed caste. The movie adopted her on a highway journey together with her fiancé (Pandi) and their households, as they hope {that a} regressive ritual will “break the spell” she is in.
“Without being pompous about its themes, Kottukkaali excels at showcasing a day in the life of a dysfunctional family doused with patriarchal norms. In an industry where directors suffer from the sophomore curse, Vinothraj delivers a more well-rounded second film, and proves that he’s here to stay… and win,” learn The Hindu’s assessment of the movie.
The movie obtained rave critiques on the Berlin International Film Festival — the first-ever Tamil movie to premiere on the Berlinale — and the Transilvania Film Festival. It gained the Grand Prix Award on the Amur Autumn International Film Festival. The movie’s ensemble forged and Nature bought a Special Mention for Best Performance on the Singapore International Film Festival.
Backed by Sivakarthikeyan’s SK Productions in affiliation with The Little Wave Productions, the movie had cinematography by B Sakthivel and modifying by Ganesh Siva.
Published – May 13, 2025 06:15 pm IST
