After word reached them that Vaalu may not make it to theatres for the Independence Day weekend because of alleged interference from Udhayanidhi Stalin, the actor’s fans unleashed a vicious brand of virtual fury. The volume of hate tweets and abuse that followed was so massive that the topic began to trend late Sunday evening.
A source close to Simbu revealed that Red Giant Movies, Udhayanidhi’s production house, had asked STR to reschedule his release to ensure their film Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga (VSOP) would have a substantial release. “There were some informal talks but the fans heard that the film was being blocked and they reacted very sharply. We are looking for alternate dates but there is nothing available between now and September end,” said the source. Jayam Ravi’s Thani Oruvan and Bobby Simhaa’s Urumeen were also scheduled for release before Vaalu entered the fray.
STR appeared a little frustrated by the repeated delay — after all, Vaalu has been to hell and back with financial trouble and legal wrangles pushing its release by two years, which is why he said, “Request fans to calm down. Everything will be solved by god’s grace and if there is anything, I will open up. Some people are still trying to stop the release and put me down. God will answer you.”
A maelstrom of abuse then flowed and when the traffic inched past the 10,000 tweet mark, Udhayanidhi Stalin began blocking some of the more vicious tweeters. In response, the actor tweeted, ‘This is very funny! Why should I and how can I stop the release of Vaalu? Any logic? Please think before jumping to conclusions! I’m not against any stars or stars fans! Just use your brain (if you have one) before commenting.”
Red Giant also issued a statement that like all producers and distributors they would do anything for their film to do well, except putting down another film.