Uncomfortable facts about Vidaa Muyarchi postponement

To misquote William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “There is something rotten in the state of Tamil Nadu”

When the teaser of Ajthkumar’s film Vidaa Muyarchi was released, it had everyone eagerly anticipating the film. About two hours before midnight (IST) on 31 December 2024, the team announced that the trailer would be releasing 7 minutes after midnight. Expectations built up to a frenzy, but within the hour came a curt announcement that the film, scheduled for release on January 10 this year had been postponed. There was no hint about the reason for the postponement, nor was there any indication of the new release date.

As has been the case on many occasions, the postponement – which came just 10 days before a planned global release, created a huge problem for overseas distributors who had to pay huge amounts to secure screens in what was, for many countries, within a holiday period. For India, it is the major festival of Pongal and a holiday observed by almost all Indians, regardless of religious belief.

The lack of detail on the announcement by Lyca Productions has led to a plethora of theories about why the film had been postponed. These include copyright issues with Paramount Pictures, a technical problem with the print and a dispute between the producers and distributors – none of which can currently be confirmed or debunked. Sigaram does not have the answers, but we would like to add another dimension to the current discussion.

Just four hours after the announcement of postponement, Red Giant Movies announced that Jayam Ravi’s Kadhalikka Neramillai would be releasing across many screens in Tamil Nadu and that the film would be offered to all overseas territories that had booked screens for Vidaa Muyarchi. The speed at which this was done suggests that this was not a knee-jerk response to the announcement by Lyca Productions, but something that had been in the pipeline for some time. Adding credibility to the theory is how two cinema theatre groups in Chennai received promotional material for Kadhalikka Neramillai on the evening of 31 December. For those who are not in the know, Kadhalikka Neramillai is directed by Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, the wife of the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Udhanidhi Stalin.

It could be sheer coincidence, but given the modus operandi of Sun Pictures and Red Giant Movies in the past, it is something that is quite plausible.

The postponement of the release of Vidaa Muyarchi also now spells good news for Bala’s Arun Vijay starrer, Vanangaan and Shankar’s Game Changer, both of which are scheduled for release on 10 January. Now the Pongal line-up includes Sibi Sathyaraj’s 10 Hours, Shane Nigam’s Madraskaaran and the Shanmuga Paandiyan-Raghava Lawrence starrer, Padaithalaivan.

Whatever the issue is, the incident has done irreparable damage to Vidaa Muyarchi and has already robbed the film of the takings during a major holiday period. Director Magizh Thirumeni and Ajithkumar must be furious, yet they now bear the brunt of the wrath of angry fans who have no idea how they have been played in this dirty game of politics in Tamil cinema.