Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Mar 10: Director Sivakumar Murugesan’s film Thaai Kizhavi has crossed the Rs 50-crore mark at the global box office, offering the Tamil film industry a much-needed blockbuster after a slow start to the year.
The comedy-drama, headlined by veteran actor Radikaa Sarathkumar, has grossed around Rs 51 crore worldwide, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
Set in a rural backdrop, the film revolves around Pavunuthaayi, a septuagenarian moneylender played by Radikaa, who was once fiercely independent but is now bedridden. The story follows the attempts of her three sons to secure a share of her wealth before her death.
Despite lacking a conventional male superstar and not fitting into the typical commercial Tamil film template, the film has received positive reviews and strong audience response.
The film opened with an India nett collection of Rs 2.65 crore on February 27 and saw a significant jump over its first weekend, earning Rs 5 crore on Saturday and Rs 6.15 crore on Sunday. Collections remained steady during the weekdays, never dropping below Rs 1.7 crore.
During its second weekend, the film continued its impressive run, collecting Rs 4.6 crore on Saturday and Rs 5 crore on Sunday. As of March 7 evening, the film’s domestic earnings stood at Rs 36.58 crore.
Produced by Sudhan Sundaram and actor Sivakarthikeyan under the banners of Passion Studios and Sivakarthikeyan Productions, the film marks the directorial debut of Sivakumar Murugesan.
Amid the film’s success, Radikaa Sarathkumar said the movie’s box office numbers could have been even higher if ticket prices had been raised like those for big-budget films featuring male stars.
“It could definitely do Rs 100 crore if tickets were priced at Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,500, which is done for heroes. This collection is with the normal Rs 150 ticket. Nobody has taxed the public unnecessarily. That says a lot,” she wrote on social media platform X.
The film also features Singampuli, Arul Doss, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth, Ilavarasu, George Maryan, Muthukumar and Raichal Rabecca in key roles.
The movie’s music is composed by Nivas K Prasanna, with cinematography by Vivek Vijayakumar and editing by San Lokesh.