: An action thriller produced by Boney Kapoor and distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies.
For the first time in nearly seven years, the two biggest icons of Tamil cinema— and Thalapathy Vijay —were scheduled to release their films, Thunivu and Varisu , on the same day: January 11, 2023. : An action thriller produced by Boney Kapoor
The story of the clash is a tale of a massive box office showdown during the Pongal 2023 festival, marked by public controversies and political involvement in the Tamil film industry. The Setting: A Rare Star Clash The Setting: A Rare Star Clash Dil Raju
Dil Raju argued that because of Vijay's perceived higher stardom, his film Varisu deserved more screens than Thunivu . He stated he would travel to Chennai to personally request —whose Red Giant Movies controlled a majority of the theaters in the state—to allot extra screens for Varisu . The Resolution: The Political Equalizer He claimed that in Tamil Nadu
The tension escalated when producer Dil Raju sparked a major controversy during an interview with a Telugu portal. He claimed that in Tamil Nadu.
This "Semma Twist" (great twist) effectively leveled the playing field, leaving it to the audience to decide which star would dominate the Pongal box office.
Despite Dil Raju's public stance, Udhayanidhi Stalin stepped in to manage the high-stakes situation. In a move that surprised many, Udhayanidhi confirmed that both films would be given across Tamil Nadu to ensure a fair competition and prevent further fan wars.