Finally Suriya has the last laugh . The events that are unfolding in past few days show that he was right in all ways by selling off his films to OTT. Tamil Nadu theaters and multiplex association is asking co-producer Lalith Kumar to pay back 10% of the first two weeks collections of Master. Reason being that Lalith took extra money from Amazon to advance the OTT release date. If Lalith does not pay ?. Issue Red Card to him. This is what the exhibitors said when Suriya’s 2D gave Ponmaghal Vandhaal and SP to OTT.
Three weeks back, Vijay and Lalith were Gods who came to rescue theaters in Tamil Nadu. Videos on YouTube showed exhibitor conducting aarti in front of Vijay – Lalith photo before each show of Master. On Day 5, exhibitors were supposed to have made their profits. Film crossed Rs 100 cr gross Worldwide on third day of Master run. If exhibitors made profits and that too on 50% occupancy, then why bother about share in collections ?. When trade figures showed that it was not so rosy, those who reported it were dubbed as inaccurate news and only the producer knew the truth.
Distributors say that they hoped to fill in full house and continue to earn profits but Lalith Kumar spoiled it. They say theater guys profited it but not them. So they say that there is a shortfall of Rs 20 crores. Theater guys who bought the rights for two weeks say that they were banking on successive weeks too. If Lalith got extra money from OTT then split it with us, is the demand. Now the savior of cinemas has become a Shylock.
In contrast, Suriya strikes a deal with OTT and sells his movie. Gets his money with profits. Theater owners curse him and his family and say that he and his clan will be begging on the streets. The fact is that Vijay had always been the whipping boy of the producer’s council. After Mersal, T Siva a vocal member of Producer Council said that except the producer, everybody made money on a Vijay film. After 24, Suriya too faced a threat of a red card. Both actors were described as creation of hyped up trade figures fed by vested interests to trade analysts and industry trackers putting out data on Twitter. Now why should an actor risk his money for a group of people who in normal times was braying for his blood ?. Vijay- lalith- Britto did and today they are fallen Gods.
Lalith Kumar has a string of big ticket films lined up. He is in the camp led by Bharathiraaja who leads an ACTIVE producers lobby. The push for a red card will split the exhibitor- distributors bodies is very much evident. A flood of pan South movies from across the Tamil Nadu borders is waiting to flood the theaters and at the time to put together a united front to give Tamil films a fair playing field, a divided house will only spell doom warned a trade analyst.
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