Director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan recently courted controversy. He levied serious allegations against actor Tovino Thomas regarding the distribution rights of their upcoming film Vazhakku. Sanal alleged that the actor was not trying to release the film through theatre or OTT because he felt that it would affect his career. Tovino Thomas has responded to allegations made by the director and said that he is not averse to watching independent films and that he values his relationship with Sasidharan. He expressed confusion over Sasidharan’s current stance. Regarding the alleged reluctance to release, Tovino said that he is open to theatrical release if the right conditions are met, and he urged the audience to listen to both sides of the story before forming an opinion. Girish Chandran, the co-producer of the movie Vazhakku and Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s cousin, was also in this live video with Tovino.
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Tovino recounted his experience working on the film Vazhakku and highlighted the challenges faced during its production and subsequent festival screenings.
Tovino Thomas said, “It was a challenging character that I enjoyed tremendously. It was also a good learning experience. Sanal and I had a good bonding. Out of respect for him, I said that I would bear half of the construction cost. I spent about Rs 27 lakh. It is a film where I did not get paid even a rupee.” The actor added, “Films are sent to festivals after many days of shooting. It has been said that it can be screened. After a few days, the film festival people said that they rejected our film. They said that an international caucus is working against us.”
Tovino Thomas said that he was told that Vazhakku would not get the recognition it deserves in theatrical release. He said that he can do it if he is interested. When this did not happen, an OTT release was tried. He attempted Vazhakku’s OTT release, but the OTT policy disapproved the release, and his social profile came in the way. Tovino Thomas concluded by expressing sadness over being portrayed as a villain in this film release controversy. He emphasised his respect for the director and clarified that he had not opposed the theatrical release of the film. Tovino Thomas also mentioned his willingness to collaborate for the distribution or OTT release of the film.
Tovino asked whether he would have become the co-producer of the film, if he had feared that his career would be destroyed if he made such films. The actor added that if there is an opportunity to distribute or OTT release the film, there is no hesitation in collaborating with it.
Sanal in his statement also expressed his struggle as the film couldn’t reach to the public and said Tovino Thomas was worried that the film might stir controversy and negatively impact his career.
Vazhakk completed shooting in December 2020 and finished production in 2022, but it has not been released in theatres or on OTT platforms to date.
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