Nalan Kumarasamy’s Vaa Vaathiyaar, starring Karthi, has had a mixed run at the box office so far. Released on January 14, ahead of the other Pongal film, the film has collected an estimated Rs 6.95 crore India net in its first four days, as per a report on Sacnilk.com.

The film opened at Rs 1.65 crore and showed healthy growth on Day 2 with Rs 2.35 crore. However, the momentum could not be sustained, as collections dipped sharply to Rs 1.55 crore on Friday and further slid to Rs 1.4 crore on Saturday. The steady decline suggests that while initial curiosity drove footfalls, the film has struggled to convert that into sustained weekend growth.

In comparison, Jiiva's Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil, which released a day later, has overtaken Vaa Vaathiyaar in just three days, collecting Rs 8.7 crore with strong upward trends. The film's Saturday jump, in particular, highlights how audience preference has shifted within the Pongal window.

Meanwhile, Parasakthi continues to tower over both films with Rs 46.1 crore in eight days, backed by a massive opening and consistent holiday-driven footfalls. Even on its second Saturday, Parasakthi managed nearly Rs 4.85 crore, almost matching Vaa Vaathiyaar’s four-day total.

Vaa Vaathiyaar also stars Krithi Shetty, Rajkiran, Karunakaran, Sathyaraj, and Anandaraj, among others. The plot follows an ardent admirer of legendary actor MG Ramachandran who raises his grandchild as an MGR reincarnation. Now, does the child grow up like MG Ramachandran? What would happen if he grew up to be someone different from his grandfather's ideals?

An excerpt from CE's review of Vaa Vaathiyaar reads, "Despite having a fantastical element at the centre of things, it is Nalan’s most simplistic and straightforward film. It feels more like a compromise and less of a cinematic endeavour simply because the beats are familiar, the notes are familiar, and so is the final output, even if it is enjoyable in parts."