'Vazhakku' commercial release: Tovino Thomas responds to allegations by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

'Nadikar' actor Tovino Thomas has responded to the allegations raised by award-winning filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan who claimed that the actor had showed reluctance to release his film 'Vazhakku' commercially due to concerns about his status as a rising star.
Tovino took to social media, urging people to hear both sides of the story before arriving at a conclusion. “Many people had warned me against working under Sanal. However, I did not get that vibe when I was approached for the film 'Vazhakku'. We were friendly right from the start and I also thoroughly enjoyed my time shooting for the film. I have never disowned any of the films I have worked in and even today I believe 'Vazhakku' is an excellent film,” said the actor who also was the co-producer of the movie.

He admitted he had expressed his doubts about the film releasing in theatres, since it was a festival movie. “The film received a lot of appreciation at festival venues like the IFFK. However, those who attend film festivals are a different audience. I did share my concern with Sanal when he said the film should be distributed in theatres, saying it may not work commercially. Sanal aso brought in another party as the film's distributor, which was a huge risk. Sanal misinterpreted my fears and has now claimed that I was worried about my star image,” he said.
He also addressed allegations raised by Sanal regarding Tovino's lack of efforts to release the film on OTT platforms. “In fact, I was the one who suggested that the film be released on OTT directly. However, the streaming platforms demanded that they should be given the creative rights of the film. Sanal was not willing to do so,” he said. Tovino added that the OTT platforms were also not willing to get involved with Sanal due to his public profile following the complaint filed against him by Manju Warrier, who claimed that the director had been stalking her.