Actor Suriya's decision of releasing his movie Soorarai Pottru directly on OTT was met with staunch opposition from producer-distributor Tiruppur Subramaniam recently. He had called Suriya's move 'a selfish one' and said that it is an 'attempt to close theatres permanently'.

Subramaniam even went as far as saying that the Rs. 5 Cr. COVID-19 aid announced by Suriya from the sale of Soorarai Pottru is being done 'out of guilt'. Echoing the same, Suriya's long-time collaborator director Hari has written an open letter to the actor asking Suriya to reconsider his decision.

"As your fan, It would give me pleasure to watch your movie in theaters and not on OTT. The movies which you and I have done together received claps and applause from the theater audience which is why we are where we are. Let us not forget that.

 

Cinema which is our profession is equivalent to God. God may be everywhere but he is given utmost respect only in temples which are theaters in this case. That is the apt recognition for the hardwork and creativity of artists. 

 

I am someone who knows the hardships of the producer (Soorarai Pottru is Suriya's home production). Nevertheless, in the event of you reconsidering your decision, your name and reputation will fly high as long as there is cinema."

Suriya and Hari have worked on six films together and the director's letter comes 3 days after it was first announced that Soorarai Pottru will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on October 30, 2020.