Ahead of the release of Karuppu on May 14, director-actor RJ Balaji has been candid about a moment from his past that he deeply regrets. In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, he spoke about a satirical mock award show he hosted as a Deepavali special in 2024 — in which he parodied an emotional moment when Sivakarthikeyan broke down on stage while speaking about his late father.

"At the time, I didn't think it was wrong. But the day I watched it on television, I felt it hadn't been handled the right way. I immediately called him and apologised," Balaji said. He added that within a week or ten days, he realised many people had been hurt by the parody as well. "There was no intention or pre-planned motive behind doing it, but I understood that it was insensitive. I apologised and admitted that I stood corrected," he said.

Balaji shares a prior connection with Sivakarthikeyan — having appeared in a cameo in Ethir Neechal and playing a full-fledged role in Velaikkaran.

Karuppu, Suriya's 45th film, releases on May 14 and features Trisha Krishnan, Indrans, Natty Subramaniam, Yogi Babu, Swasika, Sshivada, Mansoor Ali Khan, George Maryan, Aadukalam Naren, and others. Sai Abhyankkar composes the music, with GK Vishnu on cinematography, R Kalaivanan editing, and Anbariv and Vikram Mor handling stunts. The film is produced by SR Prakash Babu and SR Prabu under Dream Warrior Pictures.