Ajith Kumar's Vidaa Muyarchi on hold as Lyca Productions faces financial strain post Lal Salaam
The commercial failure of Lal Salaam is said to be one of the biggest setbacks for Lyca Productions, causing it to put all its other ambitious projects on hold, including Ajith Kumar's Vidaa Muyarchi.
Lal Salaam poster
Lyca Productions is one of the biggest production houses in India. However, it seems to have hit a rough patch with the company's big productions failing to deliver expected results. The cash-strapped company's prestigious project Vidaa Muyarchi, starring Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar, is stuck in production hell.
Producer Dhananjayan suggested that the commercial failure of Lal Salaam was one of the biggest setbacks for Lyca Productions, causing it to put all its other ambitious projects on hold.
"Lyca Productions made Lal Salaam on a huge budget. But, that film did not make the expected business. I don't know exactly how much they lost, but since Rajinikanth sir acted in the movie, the production house might have expected the film to earn Rs 50 crore in profits. If that didn't happen, naturally the company will be in deficit," Dhananjayan told the YouTube channel Aagayam Cinemas.
Rajinikanth played an extended cameo in the movie, which was helmed by his daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth. The film opened to mixed reviews and subsequently tanked at the box office. The film starred Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in the lead roles.
Dhananjayan noted that Lyca Productions had planned for Vidaa Muyarchi to hit the screens in May this year. "If the film had been released as per plan, the company would have made profits in the range of Rs 150-200 crore. But the production was delayed due to lack of funds, not because of Ajith sir or the director," he said.
However, Dhananjayan also remarked that the company's problem is only temporary as it has a slew of big-budget movies ready to hit the big screens. "I am confident that all their problems will be solved with the release of Vettaiyan," he added.
Lyca Productions seems to have prioritized the completion of Vettaiyan over Vidaa Muyarchi as it may not have been able to simultaneously bankroll two big projects. Vettaiyan, starring Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead role, is now in post-production and is set to hit the screens on October 10.
Before Vettaiyan, Indian 2 will arrive in cinemas on July 12, giving the company a much-needed break. Lyca has co-produced the film with Red Giant Movies.