Nelson follows Rajinikanth's lead, compensates Bloody Beggar distributor for box office loss
Echoing a similar gesture by Superstar Rajinikanth over two decades ago, Nelson’s move is seen as a sign of goodwill and respect for industry partnerships.
Updated : November 13, 2024 02:50 PM ISTEchoing a similar gesture by Superstar Rajinikanth over two decades ago, Nelson’s move is seen as a sign of goodwill and respect for industry partnerships.
Nelson with Rajinikanth.
In a rare gesture, director Nelson has refunded the distributor of Bloody Beggar after the film underperformed at the box office. He is reportedly only the second member of the Tamil film fraternity to do so, following in the footsteps of Superstar Rajinikanth. Nelson’s move is seen as a sign of goodwill and respect for industry partnerships.
According to industry sources, distributor 5 Star Senthil acquired the Tamil Nadu theatrical rights under non-refundable terms. However, when Bloody Beggar failed to generate expected ticket sales, Nelson stepped in to cover the distributor’s losses. Nelson, who debuted as a producer with Bloody Beggar, reportedly planned the project to be profitable for himself even before its theatrical release, allowing him to absorb the distributor’s losses without financial strain.
Rajinikanth set this precedent over 20 years ago when he compensated his distributors for the losses on his film Baba. Traditionally, Rajinikanth's movies guaranteed returns for investors, but when Baba did not meet box office expectations, he chose to refund distributors. Having both written and produced the film, Rajinikanth decided after this experience never to produce another movie.
While Bloody Beggar did not achieve the commercial success Nelson had hoped for as a producer, he was able to make the film by elevating his assistant to director after the blockbuster success of Jailer, starring Rajinikanth.
Nelson’s career was on the line when he directed Jailer. However, the film’s success was monumental, grossing over Rs 600 crore and ranking among the highest-grossing films in Tamil cinema history. This success provided Nelson with the financial foundation to support Bloody Beggar, helmed by debut director Sivabalan Muthukumar and starring Kavin.
Bloody Beggar, billed as a dark comedy, opened to mixed reviews. It was also overshadowed by Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, which grossed over Rs 250 crore globally, with Rs 100 crore collected in Tamil Nadu alone.