Director Hari and Suriya. (Photo: PRO handout)Director Hari has penned an open letter advising Suriya to reconsider his decision to release Soorarai Pottru on an OTT platform, instead of waiting for theatres to reopen.
“As your fan, I feel joy watching your movie in theatres and not on OTT,” said Hari, who created Suriya’s most profitable movie franchise, Singam.
He also reminded the actor that the cheers and claps their past movies received in theatres, were the reason behind their success. “Cinema is our god. God can be anywhere. But, it gets its respect only when it is inside its temple (read theatre). It is the recognition for the hard work and imagination of the filmmakers,” he added.
He appealed to Suriya to reconsider his decision to release the movie directly on the OTT, while also noting that he understands the challenges and problems that the producers go through.
Last week, Suriya took everyone by surprise when he announced that his much-awaited movie Soorarai Pottru will skip a theatrical release. The current COVID-19 situation has made it impossible to tell when the cinema halls will be allowed to reopen. And it is also anybody’s guess, whether the movie buffs and family crowds will brave the coronavirus threat to watch a movie when the theatres return to business.
Suriya reasoned that the circumstances were not conducive to enjoy this movie in cinemas. “As a producer, it is my responsibility to take the movie, which is the result of hard work and imagination of many, to people at the right time,” he explained.
Suriya said that he is producing 10 more movies and he is forced to make decisions keeping in mind people who depend on him for work. He also noted that he has earmarked Rs 5 crore from the proceedings he will get after releasing the movie on OTT. He will use that fund to assist those in need.
Soorarai Pottru will debut on Amazon Prime Video on October 30.