Malayalam director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan and actor Tovino Thomas are in loggerheads over the release of their film Vazhakku. After accusing Tovino of interfering in the film’s release, fearing that it would affect his career, Sanal released the film for free on Vimeo after the actor denied his claims. It all started when Sanal shared a long note in Malayalam on his Facebook. In it, he claimed that Tovino was interfering in the film’s theatrical and OTT release because he didn’t want it to affect his career. He claimed that despite shooting in 2020 and post-production in 2021, the film still hasn’t been released because of the actor.
A part of the note reads, “Tovino was a budding superstar during the production of Vazhakku. If it had come out that day, the enmity against me would have turned against him. The road to superstardom might have been short." Vazhakku ran successfully at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
On Sunday, Tovino did an Instagram live video with Sanal’s cousin and co-producer of Vazhakku, Girish Chandran. In the video, he claims that he decided to produce the film out of respect for the director’s craft. Tovino also stated that he invested Rs 27 lakh in the production of the film without getting anything in return.
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Tovino claimed that it was Sanal and not him who interfered in the release of the film. He said that he also suggested that he participate in the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), but the director rejected the idea fearing that the film would be leaked online. He also stated that Sanal was not ready to give up the creative rights, which is a standard when selling to OTT. Tovino also stated that due to the stalking case filed against Sanal for allegedly stalking Manju Warrier in 2022, which led to his arrest, not many OTT platforms were ready to get involved.
Sanal not only countered Tovino’s claims with another long post on Facebook, but also shocked everyone by uploading Vazhakku on Vimeo and making the link available for free. Along with it, he wrote, “Cinema should be seen by the audience. For anyone who wants to see the film, here is Vazhakku/The Quarrel. Now you will understand why the film has not been released yet."
The director also claimed that it was his friend who invested money in the film. He also claimed that the film was screened at MAMI in 2023. Sanal also countered that he was arrested in 2022 while the film was completed in 2021 and questioned the delay. “Tovino is very worried about my mental state in life. Thank you. If he cares about cinema, Tovino should really try to release the film. If no OTT platforms are ready, release it on YouTube," he wrote in the post.
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