Director Venkat Prabhu has clarified that his shelved project with Sivakarthikeyan ended without any fallout, urging fans to stop speculating after his father Gangai Amaran’s recent interview went viral. Emphasising that SK remains a dear friend and brother, he said delays were due to various reasons, not personal issues, and expressed openness to collaborating again when the right script arrives, as Sivakarthikeyan too responded.
Director Venkat Prabhu has moved to end the online debate around his shelved project with Sivakarthikeyan, saying there is no fallout between the two and that he would happily work with the actor again.
The clarification came on Monday, a few days after Sivakarthikeyan's next film, tentatively titled SK27, went on floors with Ramkumar Balakrishnan, known for Parking, at the helm. The film is backed by Sathya Jyothi Films. Venkat Prabhu had earlier been attached to direct the actor's 27th film, which never materialised.
The talk gathered pace after clippings of Venkat Prabhu's father, veteran filmmaker Gangai Amaran, began circulating widely online. In the interview, Gangai Amaran spoke about the delay in his son's film, speaking about scheduling and call sheet conflicts with an actor, without naming Sivakarthikeyan. Netizens quickly connected the dots.
In his note on X, Venkat Prabhu addressed the speculation head-on. "SK is always a dear friend/brother to me," he wrote. He then turned to his father's remarks without naming him. "As a father, when a film involving your own son gets delayed, the frustration is natural. He probably doesn't know the complete picture, and I can't blame him for that," he said.
The GOAT director added that he keeps his professional dealings private, even from those closest to him. "I'm a very quiet person when it comes to my work and don't discuss my professional matters in detail with anyone, including him," he wrote. On the fate of the film itself, he was brief. "The project couldn't take off due to various reasons. That's it. No hard feelings."
He also left the door open for a future collaboration. "If the time comes and a good script comes my way, I would love to work with SK again," he wrote, before asking fans to move on. "So please, let's put a full stop to all this. I'm busy with my next. My best wishes to my brother's Seyon."
The two have a history. Sivakarthikeyan made a cameo in the climax of Venkat Prabhu's GOAT, which starred Vijay. The actor is currently shooting Seyon, and has SK27 lined up next. Sivakarthikeyan was quick to respond to Venkat's public message, announcing that he was eager to collaborate with him.
"Sir, I’ve told you this before, and I’m saying it again - I’ll always be a VP fan. Waiting to collaborate with you soon, sir," Sivakarthikeyan wrote.