At the Hyderabad pre-release event for Karuppu, director RJ Balaji took a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey of actor turned politician Vijay, who was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking with visible emotion, Balaji said, "A few years ago, everybody had different opinions about a man in Tamil Nadu. Nobody believed in him. A lot of people ridiculed him, and there was negative propaganda. But that man believed in himself, and he persisted with his dream and vision. Now, he has become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu."

He continued, "Two years ago, when the same C Joseph Vijay got into politics, people didn't believe him. He had complete faith that he would do well. That belief has translated to millions of Tamil people, and they've voted for him."

Balaji's words at the event came as he and Suriya were in Hyderabad promoting Karuppu, which releases on May 14. Earlier, reports had suggested that Balaji had initially approached Vijay for the film before rewriting it for Suriya. However, the director has since clarified that Karuppu was always written with Suriya in mind.