Suriya is once again in the spotlight, not for his latest release, but because of his former director Pandiraj, who made comments that triggered a heated debate online. Pandiraj, who directed the 2022 film Etharkkum Thunindhavan with Suriya, recently gave an interview after the success of his new film Thalaivan Thalaivii, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen. Released on June 25th, Thalaivan Thalaivii is performing strongly at the Tamil Nadu box office.
During the interview, Pandiraj reflected on his work with Suriya, revealing that he spent nearly three years making Etharkkum Thunindhavan during the COVID period. Despite his hard work, he admitted the film didn’t click with audiences. However, he controversially added that Suriya’s more recent films haven’t even managed to cross Etharkkum Thunindhavan’s box office collections, hinting at the commercial failures of Kanguva and Retro.
These comments didn’t sit well with some Suriya fans, who felt Pandiraj was taking an indirect jab at the actor. They argued that while Pandiraj had every right to discuss his own film, he shouldn’t have compared it with others or diminished the value of Suriya’s newer projects. They believed he could have simply shared his experience without stirring controversy.
Interestingly, some netizens sided with Pandiraj, claiming he had a point and that the underperformance of Kanguva and Retro was indeed troubling. They also questioned whether a director of flop films himself should be trolling Suriya over failures. The clash of opinions turned into a broader debate about Suriya’s current career trajectory and the true box office numbers of these films.
Adding fuel to the fire, some users pointed out that contrary to Pandiraj’s claim, Retro and Kanguva may have actually surpassed Etharkkum Thunindhavan’s collections, depending on the source. However, the idea that a film widely considered a flop is outperforming Suriya’s latest movies led to renewed trolling and criticism online. Many are now wondering whether Kanguva and Retro represent a low point in Suriya’s otherwise stellar filmography.
