In what may serve as a fodder to instigate the fan base rivalry between Ajith Kumar and Vijay, film producer Dil Raju, who is currently backing the latter’s upcoming film Varisu, has called Vijay a bigger star than Ajith. He also added that he wanted more screens to be allotted for Varisu, as compared to Ajith’s Thunivu.

Both the films are releasing in January 2023 for Pongal.

Speaking about releasing the film in Tamil Nadu, Dil Raju in an interview with a Telugu channel said, "In Tamil Nadu, Ajith sir's film is coming along with my film. Vijay is the number one star in Tamil Nadu and everyone knows that. Vijay is bigger star than Ajith sir. We want more screens for Vijay sir and as a producer I am flying down to Chennai to speak about it. This is business." The producer also mentioned that despite Vijay being a bigger star, only equal number of screens (400-400) is being allotted in Tamil Nadu. The clip from the interview has gone viral on social media.

It is to be noted that Thunivu is distributed by Red Giant Movies in Tamil Nadu. Dil Raju is also facing resistance in Telugu speaking states, distributors there giving more priority for Telugu films.

Varisu is helmed by Vamshi Paidipally and stars Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead. On the other hand, Thunivu is backed by Boney Kapoor and is helmed by H Vinoth.