A day after Tovino Thomas responded to allegations made by Vazhakku director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the latter released the film online for free
Tovino Thomas in Vazhakku
Malayalam star Tovino Thomas's film 'Vazhakku' did multiple rounds at the festival and the makers were discussing potential release platforms for the film in India. However, things escalated between Tovino and director Sanal Kumar Saidharan over the release of the film after the director accused the actor who is also the co-producer of not showing any interest in the film's release. After the public spat, Sasidharan went ahead and released the film online for free. Sanal publicly made allegations against the actor for not showing interest in the release of the film. Responding to the allegations, Tovino came live on Instagram to share his side of the story. The clarification video is currently available on his page. A day after Thomas dropped the video, the filmmaker released the film online for free.
'Vazhakku' was screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in 2022. The film got an overwhelming response with audience flooding into the theatre to watch it. Looking at the response, Sanal aspired for a proper theatrical release of the film. However, he claimed that Tovino was neither interested in an OTT nor a theatrical release. He said that the actor felt that the film would not get the same response it got at the festival in a theatre. When Sanal told him about bringing onboard another investor, Tovino was apprehensive. He claimed that Tovino sent him a message saying that his career would be affected, but that he would tide over it after a couple of films.
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After the allegations against him, Tovino came live on Instagram to address the issue in a calm tone. In his video, he addressed the director with respect and also admired his skills as a filmmaker. He said that he was warned by many against working with the director. However, he said that they had a good time making the film. Such was his conviction in the film and the director's vision that Tovino did not charge money for the film and in fact turned producer by investing Rs 27 lakhs. He said that he wasn't keen on a theatrical release despite the festival response as the audience for both is completely different. He knew that the people who attended the festival would not buy tickets to the film on the first day. If the film did not do well, “they will write it off as a failed film, and it would not get the respect it deserves,” he said. Tovino also rubbished the allegation of him being worried about his career getting tarnished for being associated with a film with little commercial value. He said that if that was the case he would not have acted in other such films, like Adrishya Jalakangal made by Dr Biju. Incidentally, Dr Biju had voiced his support for Tovino after Sanal’s allegations.
Talking about an OTT release for the film, Tovino said that he was ready for it but Sanal did not want to give away the creative rights which was a common demand among OTT companies. He also said that Sanal's history of having been arrested is also a reason for not getting an OTT release. Sanal was arrested for stalking actor Manju Warrier after the film Kayattam.
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