Aakash Baskaran breaks silence on box office failure of Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Parasakthi’, explains why ‘Idli Kadai’ became profitable |
Even months after its theatrical release, ‘Parasakthi’ continues to be discussed among cinema fans and trade circles. The film carried massive expectations as it brought together Sivakarthikeyan and director Sudha Kongara for the first time. Backed by the success of ‘Amaran,’ the actor’s market had reached a new high, and many expected ‘Parasakthi’ to become another blockbuster. However, despite the strong pre-release buzz and positive expectations, the film could not achieve the box office numbers many had predicted.
Aakash Baskaran explains Parasakthi’s box office performance
Speaking about the film’s theatrical run in a YouTube chat with Chitra Lakshmanan, producer Aakash Baskaran admitted that several factors affected its commercial performance. He said, “The controversies surrounding ‘Parasakthi,’ its clash with other films, the censor issues and the huge expectations all played a major role in the film’s box office outcome.” He further added, “We produced both ‘Parasakthi’ and ‘Idli Kadai’ on a profit-sharing model. ‘Parasakthi’ was a big-budget film, but its box office collections were not on the expected level compared to the investment.” His comments offer a clearer picture of why the film could not meet the financial expectations despite the hype.
Producer reveals why ‘Idli Kadai’ became a profitable project
Aakash Baskaran also explained the difference between the two films from a business perspective. He said, “That is why we could not pay the entire agreed profit share for ‘Parasakthi.’ But ‘Idli Kadai’ was made on a much smaller budget, and it turned out to be a profitable venture for us. So, we were able to honour our commitment and pay Dhanush the complete profit share that we had promised.” His statement has grabbed attention as it directly compares the financial outcomes of both the projects, bringing out how budget and box office performance impacted the final returns. Aakash Baskaran’s comments reveal a bit about the business of filmmaking. While ‘Parasakthi’ may not have met the box-office expectations, ‘Idli Kadai’ turned out to be a profitable venture owing to its low budget and consistent run in theatres.
About ‘Idli Kadai’ and ‘Parasakthi’
‘Idli Kadai’ is a rural drama that is emotional in nature, written and directed by Dhanush, who also stars in the lead role. The film has an ensemble cast of Arun Vijay, Sathyaraj, Samuthirakani, Nithya Menen, Shalini Pandey, Rajkiran and R. Parthiban. ‘Parasakthi’ is a political action drama directed by Sudha Kongara. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela in lead roles. The film is set in 1964 and follows two brothers who are against the imposition of Hindi and clash with a ruthless officer of the Intelligence Bureau.
