Sivakarthikeyan’s milestone 25th film Parasakthi, directed by Sudha Kongara, released in theatres on January 10 as a Pongal special. The film received mixed responses from audiences and critics, which impacted its initial momentum at the box office.
Due to the lukewarm talk, footfalls remained low across centres. Parasakthi reportedly struggled to sustain its theatrical run and ended as a washout. The film was made on an estimated budget of around Rs 150 crores but collected only about Rs 90 crores worldwide.
After its disappointing theatrical performance, Parasakthi has now premiered on the ZEE5 OTT platform. The film arrived on streaming after a four week theatrical window and is available in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada versions.
Despite featuring Sivakarthikeyan, Jayam Ravi and Sreeleela, the film has failed to generate strong buzz on OTT. Early viewer responses online have largely been average, with many calling the experience underwhelming.
Several viewers point out that Parasakthi is based on the Anti-Hindi agitation movement in Tamil Nadu during the 1960s, which gives it a strong core idea. However, they feel the execution suffers due to a flat screenplay and a dull romantic track between Sivakarthikeyan and Sreeleela.
The music has also drawn criticism, with many calling Parasakthi one of GV Prakash Kumar’s weakest albums. Given Sudha Kongara’s success with Irudhi Suttru and Soorarai Pottru, expectations were high, but the film has failed both in theatres and on OTT.
With only average word of mouth on streaming platforms so far, Parasakthi’s long term OTT performance remains uncertain. Attention has now shifted to how Sivakarthikeyan will bounce back after this setback in his career.
