RJ Balaji on Sorgavaasal bagging OTT rights even before release - 'Was wise enough to...'

RJ Balaji is gearing up for the release of his highly anticipated film Sorgavaasal, which is scheduled to hit the big screens on November 29, 2024. Ahead of the release, the actor shared insights into the project and why the film holds a special place in his heart.

In a recent interview, the actor revealed that he had the opportunity to do better in this film, as he felt he had more liberty to experiment with his role. He said, “I felt that I would be able to do much better in this film compared to my previous movies. I had a written skeleton in this film — from who the guy is and what he would be doing to how being imprisoned in jail changes his character. So, when there is this character arc, I was confident about doing something on my own. Moreover, the creators gave me the liberty to explore. It was not like the director (Siddharth Vishwanathan) instructed me to do this or that, but instead posed the question of what I could bring to the table. This gave me the freedom and responsibility to come up with something I’ve never done before.”

Speaking about the film bagging OTT rights even before its release, RJ Balaji refrained from crediting himself for the feat and instead gave full credit to the producer for charting out a "wise plan." For the unversed, according to popular reports, OTT platforms often purchase the rights of films starring a select few big stars before their release, while others wait to assess theatrical performance. Reflecting on his position as one of the industry’s promising stars, he said, "The producer was wise enough to sell this film the day we decided to make it. It’s a long process — we can’t just pitch to Netflix or Amazon Prime and ask them to purchase the film. So, I would credit the producer for selling the film early, in line with the OTT platform’s yearly slate.”

He continued, "I am happy that my film has been sold to an OTT platform even before its release, and I strive to continue this trend with my future projects.”

About Sorgavaasal

The film marks the directorial debut of Siddharth Vishwanathan. The screenplay is co-written by Thamizh Praba, Ashwin Ravichandran, and Siddharth Vishwanathan. Besides RJ Balaji, the cast includes Selvaraghavan, Natty, Karunaas, Saniya Iyappan, Sharaf-U-Dheen, Hakkim Shah, Balaji Sakthivel, Anthonythasan, Ravi Raghavendra, and Samuel Robinson in key roles. Netflix has acquired the post-theatrical streaming rights for the film.