Dhanush's upcoming directorial Idli Kadai is gearing up for a release on October 1, for the festive occasion of Ayudha Pooja. While excitement surrounding the project has been high, advance bookings for the first day show reflects another picture. Despite featuring a star-studded cast consisting of Nithya Menen, Arun Vijay, and Sathyaraj, among others, the film has only managed to earn Rs 2.9 crore so far for the first day in advance ticket sales since bookings opened on September 27.
According to Sacnilk.com, 76,148 tickets have been sold across India, taking the cummulative to Rs 1.19 crore. Along with blocked seats, the number is currently Rs 2.97 crore with Tamil Nadu accounting for the lion's share of it contributing Rs 2.78 crore.
The slow start has been attributed to the Karur stampede tragedy that unfolded on Sunday during actor Vijay's political rally which resulted in the death of 41 and injured several others including young women and children. The state has been engulfed in grief since the incident with several key film events being cancelled as a mark of respect and mourning for the ones who passed away. According to sources, of the 41 dead, 18 were women and 14 men. Nine were children, including five girls.
The Tamil Nadu police has made its first arrest regarding the incident on Monday. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's district secretary Mathiazhagan was arrested to probe about the case. Two other TVK office bearers have also been named in the FIR. Vijay had expressed his deep sorrow in the aftermath of the stampede and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for those injured.
Meanwhile, bookings for Idli Kadai are expected to rise after the first day. Dhanush's film also has an extra edge as Kantara: Chapter 1 only releases a day after his film. Idli Kadai's bookings in the weekend are set to gain momentum given the holiday weekend.
Dhanush stars as Murugan in Idli Kadai. The star cast includes Nithya Menen as Kayalvizhi, Sathyaraj as Vishnu Varadhan, Arun Vijay as Ashwin, Samuthirakani as Marisamy, Rajkiran as Sivanesan, Shalini Pandey as Meera and Parthiban as R Arivu.
The technical crew comprises Dhanush's frequent collaborator, composer GV Prakash, cinematographer Kiran Koushik, editor GK Prasanna, and art director Jackson.
The film is produced by Akash Bhaskaran through his Dawn Pictures banner and Dhanush through his Wunderbar Pictures banner. Inban Udhayanidhi, son of Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, will get his first film credit as a distributor.