Even as fans await an announcement on actor Ajith Kumar’s next project following the success of Good Bad Ugly, financier and distributor Tiruppur Subramaniam has claimed that the actor’s absence from film announcements may not be entirely due to his focus on professional racing.
Speaking to the Fine Time Cine YouTube channel, Subramaniam suggested that the current economics of Tamil cinema may be making it difficult to mount a new Ajith film. According to him, the issue lies in the gap between the actor’s remuneration expectations and what producers are currently willing to commit.
“Ajith Kumar wants the salary he demands, but who is there in the industry to offer it? There’s almost no one,” Subramaniam said. He added that only a handful of major production houses currently operate at that scale in Tamil cinema, but claimed they are increasingly cautious about taking large financial risks.
Naming banners such as Red Giant Studios, AGS Entertainments, Sun Pictures and VELS Entertainments, Subramaniam said production houses now appear more open to structured profit-sharing arrangements than high fixed remunerations.
He further claimed that Ajith prefers a fixed-pay model and suggested that the actor could consider alternative deal structures if he wishes to make films more frequently. “If not, he is already well-settled and interested in racing. He is earning well through advertising too. If he chooses profit-sharing with production houses he likes, Tamil cinema may at least get two or three big films from him,” he said.
Trade speculation around Ajith’s remuneration has circulated for months, with reports claiming the actor’s expected pay cheque has crossed the ₹110–120 crore range. However, neither Ajith nor his team has publicly commented on such reports.
Ajith was last seen in Vidaamuyarchi and Good Bad Ugly in 2025. While the former had a relatively modest theatrical run, the latter emerged as the stronger box office performer, making him reunite with the film's director Adhik Ravichander, for AK64. However, the film has not taken off ever since it was announced leading to speculation regarding the reason behind the delay.
