The audio launch of Pandiraj’s Parimala & Co turned into something of an industry policy session on Saturday, with Vijay Sethupathi using the occasion to address Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay directly on two fronts: a state-backed OTT platform for Tamil content, and a long-overdue revision of cinema ticket prices.
On the OTT front, Sethupathi cited Kamal Haasan’s recent appeal for a regulated streaming ecosystem and built on it. His argument is that the digital market has “boomed and then stumbled” — grown rapidly without sufficient structure — and that a government-run platform could bring order to digital rights, create a dedicated global stage for Tamil cinema, and help curb piracy. The industry has also been pushing for a mandatory eight-week theatrical window before OTT releases, and stronger anti-piracy enforcement. Sethupathi’s request places the government at the centre of making that framework real.
The Ticket Price Problem
The second appeal was more immediately practical. Theatre ticket prices in Tamil Nadu have remained largely static even as production costs have climbed steadily. Sethupathi made the case plainly: the cost of everything else has gone up, and cinemas are increasingly dependent on digital ancillary revenue to remain viable. He urged the CM to consider a modest price revision — a request that aligns with Kamal Haasan’s broader push for reforms including abolishing local body entertainment tax and increasing subsidies for small-budget productions.
Why Vijay Is the Audience for These Requests
C. Joseph Vijay occupies a position many Tamil Nadu Chief Minister have before — a film star who crossed directly into governance, carrying the credibility of someone who knows the industry from inside the frame rather than from a policy document. Every major industry appeal right now is directed at him precisely because of that dual identity. Whether he acts on any of it is another matter, but the requests are landing with someone who cannot claim unfamiliarity with the problems being described.
Sethupathi’s remarks add to a growing list of voices — actors, directors, producers — pressing for structural reform in Kollywood. Parimala & Co, starring Jayaram and Urvashi, releases later this year.
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