The journey of Mandaadi from a challenging sea shoot to the big screen has already brought considerable appreciation to Soori and the team. The film, which opened in theatres on September 10, has particularly drawn attention for its boat-racing sequences and the performances of its lead actors. It has also given Soori another opportunity to build on the dramatic turn his career took with Viduthalai.

Now, the film has received a personal word of appreciation from one of Tamil cinema's biggest stars. Soori has previously spoken about the physical and emotional demands of working on Mandaadi, which required an extensive shoot in the sea. The film revolves around a sailing boat race practised along a stretch of the Tamil Nadu coastline, with Soori playing Mandaadi, the leader of a fishing expedition team.

Taking to X on Monday, Soori revealed that Superstar Rajinikanth had watched Mandaadi and called him to share his appreciation. "Superstar Rajinikanth Sir watched and loved our #Mandaadi. His heartfelt call means the world to me and our entire team," he wrote, alongside a picture capturing the moment he was speaking to the superstar. Soori described it as a "priceless moment" of hearing Rajinikanth's voice on the other end of the call. He also called Rajinikanth's words of appreciation "a blessing".

The appreciation comes at a significant point in Soori's journey as a leading man. After years of being known primarily for comedy and supporting parts, the actor's career took a major turn with Vetri Maaran's Viduthalai Part 1. He subsequently headlined films including Garudan and Maaman, with Mandaadi continuing his run of protagonist-driven projects.

Directed by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi, Mandaadi is centred on a sailing boat race peculiar to the coastal region of Tamil Nadu. The director had explained that he wanted to explore the sea and came across the sport while looking for a relatively unexplored subject. The film's production was itself demanding, with the team spending around two months shooting at sea. A production boat also capsized during the shoot, resulting in equipment loss and further delays.

The film stars Suhas, Mahima Nambiar, Sathyaraj, Mithun Jai Sankar, Ravindra Vijay, Bala Saravanan and Stun Siva alongside Soori. GV Prakash Kumar has composed the music, while SR Kathir handles cinematography and Pradeep E Ragav is the editor. The action sequences were choreographed by Peter Hein, Dhilip Subbarayan and Mahesh Mathew.

Mandaadi has also received positive reactions from fellow actors. Sivakarthikeyan and Vishnu Vishal had congratulated Soori following the film's release, with the former praising his "hard work, persistence and relentless dedication". The film's ocean-based action sequences, particularly the climax boat sequence, have emerged as one of its talking points among audiences and critics. Mandaadi is currently running in theatres.