Director Bharathiraja in his recent statement has welcomed actor Suriya’s decision to directly release his upcoming film Soorarai Pottru, directed by Sudha Kongara, on an OTT (Over-the-Top) platform. Addressing the letter to those in the industry, Bharathiraja says that it is sad to see that a problem against OTT platforms is now being diverted as a problem just against actor-producer Suriya. “You and I know the politics behind this. Suriya is among the very few who invest the money they’ve earned from the industry back into it,” Bharathiraja has said.
He's also listed reasons why the producers have been forced to opt for OTT release, and has written about some of the issues relating to VPF (Virtual Print Fee), ticket pricing at theatres, and the revenue that would come from theatres in the near future, given the pandemic scenario. “When the Chief Minister allows movie theatres to reopen, it would be with 50% occupancy. If that is the case, for how many weeks should a film be allowed to run in theatres? Already good films have difficulty in getting theatres and even when they do, they are removed in two weeks. If such is the case even today, producers will lose it all. A film must at least be allowed to remain in theatres for four weeks,” he's said.
Requesting everyone to avoid targeting a single person, Bharathiraja wrote, “Theatre owners, distributors, come! Let us amicably discuss and solve this. OTT is the best option for people to safely watch films and the decision that Suriya has made keeping this in mind is a welcome one.”
The director has referred to several small budget films that have not been able to see the light of the day and has asked if theatre owners will come forward to exhibit them on screen. “I understand your wish to see films by actors like Suriya in theatres and I support this as well but at the same time there are several small budget films that have not been able to release for various reasons. Will you come forward to bring it out? Will you fight? Creation requires freedom to function. One should not control it,” he wrote.
Bharathiraja has talked about some of the repeated concerns put forward by the producers time and again with respect to VPF and digitisation of ticket sales. “According to me, why do people hesitate to watch movies in theatres? It is because more than the tickets, the cost of popcorn, parking, etc are more. How can a common man spend Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 to watch a film with his family in a theatre? That is why people show interest towards piracy sites such as Tamilrockers. We are also a reason,” he has said.
Bharathiraja's letter comes a day after director Hari, who has worked with Suriya in several films, including the Singam franchise, wrote a letter to the actor asking him to rethink his decision. Hari had said that as a fan of the actor, he wished to watch his film on the big screen and that people from the industry must not forget that they have achieved their fame through theatrical releases.
Soorarai Pottru has reportedly fetched 2D Entertainment, Suriya's production company, Rs 35-45 crore. Suriya made the announcement about the release, stating that he was doing it as a producer and not an actor. The film will release on Amazon Prime Video on October 30.