On Sanal Kumar’s allegations against him that his reluctance has hindered the OTT/theatrical release of his film ‘Vazhakku’, Tovino has responded through a live video. Tovino Thomas said that he is not averse to watching independent films and that he values his relationship with Sanal. He also expressed his confusion over Sanal’s current allegations. 

Tovino added that he is open to the theatrical release if the right conditions are met. He has also asked the public to listen to both sides of the story before making an opinion. Accompanying Tovino Thomas in the video was Girish Chandran, the co-producer of ‘Vazhakku’ and also Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s cousin. 

Watch the full live:

Following Tovino's live video, Sanal Kumar accused Tovino of making excuses with lies upon lies. He also added that if the OTT platforms do not pick up the film due to his social status, he should release the film through Youtube.

He stated that he did not receive any remuneration from the movie ‘Vazhakku’. In 2022, the film was not selected for the online edition of the Mumbai Film Festival. The selection was in the India Gold category of the Mumbai Film Festival. He also said that Tovino is lying that the ‘Vazhakku’ is not coming on OTT platforms because of my non-cooperation. 

"Tovino is also lying about the theatrical release. I never said or expected that my film would get the kind of crowd that his usual films do in theaters. Communication with Tovino has ceased since July 2023. It was because I realized that Tovino didn't like the film even being discussed in many contexts. In June 2023, the film won the best screenplay award at the Ottawa Indian Film Festival in Canada," he said. 

He accused Tovino that he responded through a live because he was worried about people misunderstanding him and taking it the wrong way.