Pongal 2023 couldn't get any bigger as two of the most anticipated Tamil films in recent times, 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Varisu and Ajith Kumar's Thunivu, are on track for a massive worldwide release. With the buzz for the upcoming films already at a peak among fans, there has been a huge debate over the past couple of days after blockbuster Telugu films producer-distributor Dil Raju drew a parallel between the two Tamil cinema superstars in a recent interview with a Telugu television channel. As fans on social media continue to debate over Dil Raju's recent statements, leading Tamil producer-distributor Dr. Dhananjayan Govind sat down for an exclusive interview with Galatta to talk about the controversy, while also sharing his thoughts about the release and the expectations for Vijay's Varisu and Ajith's Thunivu. 

Upon being asked about Dil Raju's comment about Vijay being a bigger star than Ajith and his justification for the need for more screens to be allotted for his film, producer Dhananjayan stated, "My question is, whether he will be able to say this in Andhra Pradesh? Can he escape by saying Mahesh Babu's market is bigger than Pawan Kalyan? He's making many films in Telugu. Now, two films are coming out for Pongal (Sankranthi) in Andhra - one is Chiranjeevi sir's film (Waltair Veerayya) and the other is Nandamuri  Balakrishna sir's film (Veera Simha Reddy). Will he say the same thing then? Will he say Chiranjeevi has a bigger market and he should be given more screens than Balayya? This is an unnecessary controversy." 

Dhananjayan adds, "The audience knows who is number one and number two. The public knows as well. All are aware of who has the widest market. So, overall, business-wise, we can keep talking about this and everyone knows that. Overall and business-wise, Rajinikanth is always the superstar and he's a legend. He and Kamal Haasan sir are iconic. They should not be included in the number list. Next, among the youth stars, everyone knows that as far as Tamil Nadu, there is huge excitement for both Vijay and Ajith. It's equal for them both. And, that is why I've stated in several interviews, as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, their films should be given an equal number of screens. There's no doubt about that. As for the other territories, the landscape is changing. Ajith sir hasn't concentrated in Andhra and Telangana to date, but Vijay sir's market keeps expanding. Master did well in those two states and all his films are getting an opening. So, a Telugu producer is producing his film today and his market is going to expand even more with Vaarasudu (Varisu Telugu version). When you compare them both in the Telugu market, there will definitely be a difference. On the other hand, when it comes to overseas, Vijay sir has always maintained a big reach. There's no need to even talk about Kerala and Karnataka since he has hardcore fans in both states. So, even if this is the situation in other states and overseas, in Tamil Nadu, both of them are big stars." 

Dhananjayan further explains how Varisu and Thunivu are different and says, "It all comes down to the genre and how big an audience will support these films. Up until now, we don’t know much about that. Director H. Vinoth has stated in his interviews that this film (Thunivu) falls under a multi-genre and cannot be restricted to one particular genre. Varisu, on the other hand, the team has made it absolutely clear that it's a family film. In a family film, there will be action, romance, comedy, and sentiment and that will immediately attract audiences across all groups and is a film that will be liked by all. So, Varisu is a sure-shot family film. Now, when we look at this film (Thunivu) as a multi-genre film, will it appeal to family audiences or not, that is how we can speak about which film will perform well at the box office. Until then, nobody can say that this person is number one, and that is why he should be given more screens. The film that creates excitement will get an increase in the screen count and there will be a big response from the audience."

Watch producer G. Dhananjayan speak about the release of Varisu and Thunivu in the video below: