PremiumKarthik Subbaraj on how he fought to stop Jagame Thandhiram and Mahaan from direct OTT releases
Jigarthanda DoubleX is director Karthik Subbaraj's first film to release in theatres after a gap of four years as his last two films, Jagame Thandhiram and Mahaan, went straight to OTT platforms.
Last Updated: 07.31 PM, Nov 09, 2023
Jigarthanda DoubleX is a very special film in director Karthik Subbaraj's career. It is his first film to be released in theatres after a gap of four years and he seems to be anxious to know how the audience will respond to it.
Even though Karthik Subbaraj never took a break from making movies, he faced new challenges in the wake of the pandemic. His last two movies Jagame Thandhiram, starring Dhanush, and Mahaan, headlined by Chiyaan Vikram, were released directly on the streaming platform as the world was reeling under the impact of the Covid outbreak.
In a recent interview, Karthik revealed his internal struggle, admitting to considering drastic measures to prevent the streaming fate of his films. "I argued with my producers, even considered withholding the final cut, but my conscience prevailed; it felt unethical," he said.
"I am anticipating the audience's response to Jigarthanda DoubleX in the same way I did for my debut film Pizza," said Karthik.
While Jagame Thandhiram found its home on Netflix in 2021, Mahaan made its direct-to-OTT debut on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.
Earlier, Lalith Kumar of Seven Screen Studios, who is also the producer of the latest blockbuster Leo, explained why he decided to take the OTT route for Mahaan.
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"At the time, just out of the Covid pandemic, we were not sure whether or not the audiences would go to theatres. I was forced to take that call back then. Even Vikram sir was not happy. I promised Karthik that I would make up for him by doing his next movie on a bigger scale," explained Lalith earlier.
He also revealed that after watching Mahaan on streaming Thalapathy Vijay expressed his displeasure with his decision . He said that Vijay strongly believed that Mahaan deserved a big-screen debut before its digital release.