On Thursday morning, fans of director Selvaraghavan were taken aback by a revelation he made on Twitter. “The actual budget of #aayirathiloruvan was 18 crores. But we decided to announce it as a 32 crore film to hype it as a mega budget film. What stupidity! Even though the film managed to collect the actual budget it was regarded as average! Learnt not to lie whatever the odds are!” he tweeted. The 2010 film Aayirathil Oruvan starring Parthiban, Karthi, Andrea Jermiah and Reema Sen, despite being considered a box office failure and opening to mixed reviews, remains a cult film in the eyes of ardent fans of the filmmaker.

Close to the release date, Behindwoods had reported that the budget had increased from Rs 7 crore to Rs 32 crore in the two years it took to make the fantasy adventure film. However, given the supposedly high budget, the film was ultimately a flop in box office terms. Over the years though, Aayirathil Oruvan has gathered a dedicated following among the audience. From Selvaraghvan’s tweet on Thursday, admitting to having falsely announced an inflated budget, it would appear that at a cost of Rs 18 crore, Aayirathil Oruvan may not have been the box office failure it was thought to be. Fans appear to largely be taking this information in good-spirit with a few hilarious memes thrown in.

Aayirathil Oruvan, produced by Dream Valley Corporation, is part-historical fiction, part fantasy-adventure set in Vietnam. It follows an Indiana Jones-style expedition and rescue mission that turns into a dynastic fight between the Cholas and Pandiyas in the modern-age.

Earlier this year, Selvaraghavan and Dhanush announced that the brothers would be re-uniting for a film, this time for a sequel to the film, creating quite a stir. The film is expected to release in 2024. Aayirathil Oruvan was also re-released in theatres across Tamil Nadu on December 31, 2020, along with Selvaraghavan-Dhanush’s landmark film Puduhpettai.

The actual budget of #aayirathiloruvan was 18 crores. But we decided to announce it as a 32 crore film to hype it as a mega budget film. What stupidity! Even though the film managed to collect the actual budget it was regarded as average! Learnt not to lie whatever the odds are!

— selvaraghavan (@selvaraghavan) August 19, 2021

Meanwhile, Selvaraghavan, sporting a surprising new look, is all set to star in Vijay’s upcoming movie Beast directed by Nelson Dilipkumar.