Sivakarthikeyan’s latest release, ‘Parasakthi’, hit theatres today, January 10, ahead of its original schedule on January 14. In the wake of delay in censor certification for Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’, ‘Parasakthi’ stunned at the box office, giving it further power to scale the ticket counter by the evening or on the first day on a weekend. The period action entertainer set against the background of anti-Hindi rioting in Tamil Nadu in 1965 took all the centrestage, among the else busy Friday, as fans are watching the advance booking traffic and predictions dockets of the movie.
OTT rights reportedly bagged by ZEE5
On the digital side, Parasakthi’s OTT rights have been bought by ZEE5, according to an OTT Play report. Though the exact OTT release date remains a mystery, it is speculated that the movie could land on the streaming giant within 6-8 weeks post-release. The movie is certificated U/A but had previously gotten into censor issues that momentarily postponed the advance bookings. The ‘Jana Nayagan’ movie deferment has also paid dividends to ‘Parasakthi’, providing scope for distributors and theatres to give more screens and booking slots for Sivakarthikeyan’s movie.
Star-studded cast amid mixed reviews
Directed and co-written by Sudha Kongara, ‘Parasakthi’ saw a complete overhaul during filming. Having started as ‘Purananooru’ with Suriya as the lead star, has been changed to Parasakthi with Sivakarthikeyan taking over. Joining the dots also includes Sreeleela (the first Tamil film), Ravi Mohan as the baddie, and Atharvaa Murali in an important role. GV Prakash scores the music, and the film has Ravi K. Chandran as the cinematographer and Sathish Suriya as editor. Marked by the star cast and interest that it has created, the film garners only mixed reviews on the early bird show highlights are the performances and the period (time) setting, but negatives include pacing and overall execution.
Period drama explores 1965 anti-Hindi agitations
Set in Tamil Nadu, the film shows the ideological clash between Sivakarthikeyan and Atharvaa’s characters, one playing a Railway employee and the other opposing Hindi imposition. Sreeleela plays a non-Tamilian radio host, adding twists to the plot. ‘Parasakthi’ promises to pull the audience to theatres with its extended theatrical run, given the release postponement of ‘Jana Nayagan,’ and the assurance of a swift OTT release thereafter, despite the film being a mixed bag of reviews.