Filmmaker-actor RJ Balaji was pumped for his Suriya and Trisha Krishnan-starrer Karuppu to hit screens on May 14, with new Chief Minister Vijay even granting permission for 9 AM shows in Tamil Nadu. However, by May 13, fans knew something had gone wrong when bookings for the film weren’t opened properly, and rumours of shows being cancelled circulated. On Thursday, all Karuppu shows till 4 PM have been cancelled, with Balaji breaking down as he apologises to fans for the delay. But what really happened? (Also Read: Emotional RJ Balaji breaks down, apologises to fans for Karuppu release delay; ‘manifests’ evening shows for Suriya film)
Theatres reveal Karuppu producers’ financial issues
Theatres across Tamil Nadu announced on social media that shows for Karuppu were cancelled. Kamal Cinemas’ management wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Due to financial issues from the producers’ side, the 9:00 AM (Screen 1) and 9:30 AM (Screen 2) shows of #Karuppu have been cancelled.” Many also mentioned that they are ‘awaiting clarity’ from the production house, Dream Warrior Pictures, which went radio silent on social media.
‘Unforeseen reasons’ and ‘financial reasons’ were terms that theatres across the state echoed when announcing show cancellations. Dindigul Cinemas wrote, “#Karuppu might be pushed to tomorrow! Financier need to clear after settlement on previous pending issue.” Ritzy Cinemas updated that Karuppu’s 4 PM shows also stand cancelled, writing, “#Karuppu 4PM Show is also cancelled,” even as Balaji hopes the issue will be sorted by evening. Producer SR Prabhu’s last tweet reads, “Due to unavoidable reasons 9am shows will be cancelled for Karuppu. Our sincere apologies to everyone!”
What needs to happen for Karuppu to be released
While the production house hasn’t offered any clarity, The Statesman reported that ₹10 crore in unsettled dues is the reason behind Karuppu’s delay. The report claims that in the Tamil film industry, it is standard practice for distributors to withhold the Key Delivery Message (KDM), the secure digital key that allows a film to be screened in theatres, until pending payments are cleared. The producer reportedly did not clear this payment in time.
The production house, Dream Warrior Pictures, also reportedly owes a significant amount of ₹50 crore to multiple parties. Among the unpaid dues is money owed to EVP Studios near Chennai, where the film was partially shot. The report states that this also creates a bottleneck, as the producer requires a final clearance from creditors. With no clarity from the film’s team, Balaji is hoping that Karuppu’s shows will resume from 6 PM on Thursday. It remains to be seen when the film will be released.