Ahead of the release of his directorial debut, Youth, on Thursday, Ken Karunaas penned a long note about the film and his dream-come-true moment on X on Wednesday.

He started his note by sharing his love for cinema. "CINEMA … From the day I fell in love with it, everything else slowly became secondary. It wasn’t just something I watched… it became something I lived… I'm just 24… but from my childhood till now, this is the only thing that stayed with me… Through every phase, every doubt, every small dream… cinema never left my side."

He then moved on to his debut, Youth, which also stars him in the lead role. "Can’t believe I can’t work on Youth anymore… For so long, it felt like my own little baby… something I woke up and slept thinking about every single day… As a hero, I lived a beautiful story… As a director, I found my own. Every frame holds a piece of my heart… every moment carries a part of my journey. There were days it broke me, days it built me… but it always reminded me why I started," he explained.

Finally, addressing the audience, he concluded, "I made this film keeping you in mind… always wondering how you would feel, where you would smile, and where you would connect… So many beautiful souls came together to make this possible… I'm forever grateful to each one of them. And now… I’m letting it go… from something that was mine… to something that becomes yours. Take care of it… love it like I did… maybe even more. Hope it entertains you, stays with you, and gives you something beautiful to hold on to. From a kid who just loved cinema to this moment."

Youth also stars Devadarshini, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Anishma Anilkumar of Sirai fame, Priyanshi Yadav, and Meenakshi Dinesh, among others. The film's technical team also includes cinematographer Viki and editor Nash. The film is produced by Karuppiah C Ram and Sulochana Kumar under their banners Paarvathaa Entertainments and Street Boy Studios, respectively.