2023 took a sensational start for Tamil cinema fans everywhere as 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Varisu and Ajith Kumar's Thunivu opened to a stunning response in theatres around the world. With both films continuing to dominate the talk around the town, popular Tamil cinema producer-distributor Dr. Dhananjayan Govind has now opened up on who the real winner is among the two in an exclusive interview with Galatta. Speaking about the opening for Ajith's Thunivu and Vijay's Varisu, Dhananjayan said, "Both films are winners if you ask me. Producer Dil Raju has announced that his Varisu has collected 210 crores worldwide. Only the producers of these films know how much their ventures have collected worldwide. When it comes to Tamil Nadu, both films have grossed 165-170 crores. As to which film is ahead of the two, there's a difference of 5 crores and that is Varisu. This doesn't make Thunivu any lesser."
- A GRAND ENTRY: 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Varisu makes a new BIG ACHIEVEMENT - massive announcement!
- EXCLUSIVE: Khushbu's deleted scenes in 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Varisu - editor Praveen K. L. reveals the reason!
- EXCLUSIVE: Varisu editor Praveen KL addresses the negative buzz surrounding the film's runtime - WATCH VIDEO!
- The much-awaited 'Celebration of Varisu' song video is out - watch 'Thalapathy' Vijay set the dance floor on fire!
Dhananjayan further stated, "The real competition would be if Viswasam and Varisu came out together at the same time, but that wouldn't always be possible. Actors getting the same story at the same time isn't always a probability. However, in terms of budget, Varisu was made on a grand scale and Thunivu didn't register such an expenditure. Budget-wise the difference could be around 40-50 crores. Since Thunivu has a difference in its budget, it has performed neck and neck at the box office and is a victory in a way. As a result, both producers have seen profits with their films."
Speaking about the profits of both films, Dhananjayan continued, "In fact, if Dil Raju sir is celebrating at the success meet, it means the film has gotten such a big profit. Everyone is saying that Varisu has earned him a massive profit. He's also released it in Telugu (Vaarasudu) now after three days and the film has made the best collections for a dubbed film in Vijay's career. All of this is a bonus in a way for Dil Raju sir. Had it released alongside the Tamil version, it would have made a bigger profit. However, it has gotten good collections even after releasing three days later in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and is getting a good response among the family audience. As for Thunivu, it doesn't have such a big budget and had only one or two sets and the cast and crew too were smaller compared to Varisu. The film (Thunivu) had neck and neck collections in Tamil Nadu and has brought quite a lot of success overseas. It's the first film for him to make $1 million in the U.S. and also took a big opening in many regions. Lyca Productions has distributed the film abroad creating a good market for him."
Watch Dhananjayan Govind discuss the success of Varisu and Thunivu in the video below:
