Chennai: Tamil star Surya’s Soorarai Pottru will be premiered directly on Amazon Prime on 30 October, making it the the first big-budget movie in Tamil Nadu to take the OTT route. Surya made the announcement regarding the release of his long-awaited Soorarai Pottru as the uncertainty over the reopening of theatres looms large.
The movie is inspired by the life of Captain Gopinath, a retired Army captain who went on to create the low cost airline carrier Deccan. The movie, which is scheduled for release on 30 October, is a multilingual directed by the Sudha Kongara.
As theaters are shut for more than 150 days due to the Covid situation in the state, many big budget movie producers have pushed their movie releases for Diwali, though there is no guarantee that the theaters will open by then. Theatre associations in Tamil Nadu have always objected even to the parallel release of movies in OTT platforms as such a move adversely affects their industry, but the Covid situation has turned the tables against them. Earlier, theatre owners have already raised objection to the release of the Jyothika starred “Ponmagal Vandhal” and announced that they will not allow the release of any movies from the actor Sivakumar’s family in theaters hereafter.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Tamil Nadu Theater Association members said they feel let down by actor Surya’s decision, as it will not help them during a tough time like this. Theatre owner Subramaniam said they are facing uncertainty as there is no guarantee when theatres will be allowed to open and even if allowed, there is no assurance that people will turn up to theatres to watch movies as they have to follow several physical distancing norms. He added that a strong line-up of movies is needed to bring back audiences to theatres and moves like opting for OTT will not help them in anyway.
Industry insider and producer Dhanajeyan said that 2020 has become a game-changer as it has opened up a new avenue even to the producers and added that when there is no guarantee when the theatres will open, OTT has given an escape route to the small producers as it helps them to minimise financial loses.
Actor Surya, in his statement, said that he has been forced to take this decision as a producer to save the interest of the people who are associated with him in the movie and also it is his responsibility to ensure the movie gets released at the right time as it involves the hard work of several artistes and technicians.