Filmmaker Selvamani Selvaraj recently said that the audience in Tamil cinema is more evolved when it comes to their cinematic tastes as compared to those in the other states. Speaking to Sudhir Srinivasan, the Kaantha filmmaker shared that the audience in the state has never looked at films purely as 'commercial' or 'offbeat' films. "Entertainment is to engage. We have appreciated every film that has engaged us," the filmmaker opined.
Selvamani also revealed that he was afraid of the commercial cinema format, because he is not into song and dance. "I do not dance or know how to make somebody do it," the filmmaker said before questioning the necessity of these elements in films. "I only like story-based films," the filmmaker said before adding that he had his skepticisms about its commercial viability while making a small film such as 2016's Nila.
The 2016 film earned plenty of appreciation for the filmmaker after its festival run, making him realise that the audience appreciated quality cinema even if it did not have typical commercial elements.
When he made the comment about the Tamil cinema audience, director Ram also agreed with Selvamani. The Kaantha director argued that the audience in the state would have celebrated Homebound if a Tamil version of the film were to be made. He argued that Neeraj Ghaywan's Oscar-shortlisted film did not do as well as expected. "We do not look at cinema as a mere form of pastime," the filmmaker argued.
According to data from Sacnilk, Homebound earned a net collection of 4.85 crore from theatres in India and a worldwide gross collection of 5.6 crore. Despite earning rave reviews, the film is not regarded as a commercial success.
