Just days after taking office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, actor-turned-politician Vijay has begun making decisions that are already drawing attention across political and cultural circles. Sworn in on Sunday following Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s sweeping electoral debut, Vijay has signalled an energetic start to his tenure with a mix of administrative and industry-related moves.
One of his latest decisions has been warmly welcomed by the Tamil film industry. Vijay has reportedly granted special permission for 9 am shows of RJ Balaji’s upcoming directorial venture Karuppu, starring Suriya and Trisha Krishnan. The move comes ahead of the film’s theatrical release on May 14.
Production banner Dream Warrior Pictures shared the update on social media along with an image of Vijay at the Chief Minister’s Office. “Special thanks to our honorable Chief Minister Thiru. Joseph Vijay for granting the special permission for the 9AM shows of #Karuppu. #Karuppu – FDFS begins at 9AM, from May 14,” the production house posted.
Director RJ Balaji later reshared the message.
The film itself has been generating considerable excitement in the lead-up to release. Karuppu features Suriya in the titular role of Karuppuswamy, while Trisha Krishnan plays a lawyer named Preethi. RJ Balaji also stars in a key role. The supporting cast includes acclaimed actors Indrans, Natty Subramaniam, Swasika, Sshivada, Supreeth Reddy and Yogi Babu.
The film’s technical crew includes music composer Sai Abhyankkar, cinematographer G.K. Vishnu and editor R. Kalaivanan.
A major talking point surrounding the project is the reunion of Suriya and Trisha on screen after more than two decades. Their last film together was Aaru, released in 2005, making Karuppu one of the most anticipated Tamil releases of the year.
Even before release, the film has shown strong momentum at the box office through advance bookings. According to Sacnilk, Karuppu has already sold around 1.6 lakh tickets across 4,333 shows in India, collecting an estimated gross of ₹2.67 crore. Tamil Nadu has emerged as the film’s strongest market with ₹2.11 crore in advance sales, followed by Karnataka with ₹24.06 lakh. The Telugu version has also recorded encouraging early numbers.