You could say he made a day out of a routine function at a full house in Ram Cinemas, Tirunelveli. It was a town-hall of sorts, with Balaji toasting to Vijay’s reign and hinting at what’s to come. And yes, he put it on the record: there will be a sequel to Suriya’s hit, and don’t think for a second there’s a void with Vijay in the political arena.
Fans make it a festival in Tirunelveli
There was a parade-like air to the Karuppu show. With some drumming and pyrotechnics in the mix, Balaji was in good spirits, cutting a cake and putting in a plug for his crew. He put it down to the kind of hard-nosed effort you have to put in to get to where you are in this business.
Vijay’s shadow still looms large
But it was when he spoke of Vijay that he got the room. ‘Give me 10 records in Tamil cinema and 8 of them will be in Thalapathy’s name,’ was the way he put it. No one is taking that spot, but as he sees it, the movies go on regardless.
He had no trouble with Vijay’s new direction, calling it a step up. In fact, he made a point of thanking him in the opening of Karuppu and let us know Vijay had called in to offer his congratulations once the film was out.
Suriya’s surge powers box office and belief
Then there is the matter of the numbers. Karuppu has put a new line in the book for Suriya. We are talking over Rs 200 crore in eight days, making it the top dog in Tamil this year. To Balaji, that kind of performance is proof that star power is as real as ever.
Funny how things work out – we had two or three talks with Vijay when this was supposed to be his last before he left for politics. When he bailed, we put it in front of Suriya. He put his own stamp on it and I’d say it only made for a better movie in the end.
A film fuelled by faith
At its core, Karuppu is about conviction. The story is rooted in the old ways of the Masani Amman temple in Pollachi. I like to think God has a hand in bringing it to the masses. Some can be quick to deride devotional films, but they don’t see what it means to the families in the audience.
That was the message in Tirunelveli:
– The story was meant to be told with some faith behind it
– The people came for that feeling
– And the box office has spoken
Sequel confirmed, patience advised
We are on for a part two. But don’t expect to see it tomorrow; we haven’t put pen to paper on the script. The response so far has given us the room to do it right when the time is right.
What comes next for Karuppu 2
I won’t give you a date. The fans have put the wind in our sails, and we’ll let the story dictate when we’re ready to make the follow-up.
So here is the bottom line for you: you’ve got Vijay’s legacy, you’ve got a Suriya who is on form, and you have my plans to be back in the world of Karuppu. In times like these, that’s enough to keep the houses full and the noise up.
