Vaazhai on OTT: Here's when Mari Selvaraj's tragic drama will stream

Filmmaker Mari Selvaraj initially planned for Vaazhai to be a direct-to-stream release. However, for unknown reasons, those plans changed, and the film was first released in theatres. The result exceeded expectations, making Vaazhai one of the hit films of Tamil cinema this year.

Vaazhai became the first Tamil movie produced by Disney+ Hotstar to have a theatrical run before making its streaming debut. The film is expected to follow the standard four-week exclusive theatrical window before arriving on the streaming platform. It’s safe to assume the movie might start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar by the end of the third week of September.

The producer’s gamble on a theatrical release paid off. The film surpassed expectations in terms of ticket sales and continues to perform decently despite competition from Thalapathy Vijay’s The Greatest of All Time at the box office.

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Recently, Mari Selvaraj took to social media to express his excitement over Vaazhai drawing audiences to theaters. "HOUSE FULL SHOWS CONTINUE TODAY," tweeted Mari, a day after The Greatest of All Time was released.

While Vaazhai's box office numbers aren't record-breaking, the fact that a film of this scale, without a star-studded cast, has sustained such a long theatrical run is encouraging for filmmakers. The movie’s success also highlights Mari’s growing reputation among Tamil audiences, showing that he doesn’t need big stars to sell tickets.

Vaazhai has earned more than ₹20 crore in Tamil Nadu alone, making it one of the most successful Tamil films of the year, especially given its modest production cost. The film reportedly cost ₹5 crore to make and has earned over ₹34 crore globally.

Inspired by real-life events and closely connected to Mari’s personal life, Vaazhai sheds light on a slave-like work culture that exploits oppressed communities in remote villages of Tamil Nadu.

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