The ongoing feud between actor Tovino Thomas and director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan has prompted the latter to take an unconventional step: releasing their film Vazhakku directly on Vimeo, a platform similar to YouTube that allows users to watch and upload videos free of charge.

Uploaded to the director’s Vimeo account two years ago, the film has now been made accessible to the public, offering viewers the opportunity to watch it for free. Sharing the film’s link on his Facebook account, the award-winning director conveyed, “The movie is for the audience to watch. Vazhakku / The Quarrel. Those interested can view it. Those who understand the reasons for its delayed release can appreciate.”

Despite receiving accolades and screenings at prestigious events such as the International Film Festival of Kerala, the Korean International Film Festival IFFSA-SEOUL 2022, and the 54th Kerala State Film Awards, the theatrical release of the two-year-old film was stalled due to conflicts between the actor and director.

According to the director, Tovino harbours concerns that a theatrical release might adversely affect his reputation and hinder his ascent as a leading star. In response, Tovino took to Instagram Live, attributing the film’s delay to the director’s actions. He also mentioned that the filmmaker fails to grasp the fact that this festival movie failed to garner attention like at film festivals, resulting in commercial failure. Tovino, who co-produced the movie, claimed that the director is responsible for the film’s inability to release on OTT platforms.

Starring Kani Kusruti, Sudev Nair, and Azees Nedumangad alongside Tovino Thomas, Vazhakku was jointly produced by Parrot Mount Pictures and Tovino Thomas Productions, with music by Prithvi Chandrasekhar. The question looms large whether the duo will reconcile their differences, retract the film’s link, and strategise for a theatrical or OTT release. Stay tuned for further developments.