Varisu

Varisu (/ˈvɑːˌrisʊ/ transl. Heir) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally, who co-wrote the film with Hari, Ashishor Solomon and Vivek Velmurugan. Produced jointly by Dil Raju and Sirish under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations and PVP Cinema. The film stars Vijay in the main lead role alongside Rashmika Mandanna, R. Sarathkumar, Shaam, Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Jayasudha, Sangeetha, Samyuktha Shanmughanadhan, Nandini Rai, Yogi Babu, Ganesh Venkatraman and Suman. It focuses on an entrepreneur's youngest son being named the chairman of his father's business, much to the dismay of his two brothers.

The film was announced in September 2021 under the tentative title Thalapathy 66, as it is Vijay's 66th film in a leading role. Principal photography began in April 2022 and concluded in December. The film was shot mostly in Chennai and Hyderabad, with sporadic schedules in Visakhapatnam, Ballari and Ladakh. The music was composed by Thaman S, cinematography handled by Karthik Palani and editing was by Praveen K. L. The film was subject to numerous leaks during production, despite the efforts of the producers to contain them.

Varisu was released in theatres worldwide on 11 January 2023, in the week of Pongal. It received mixed reviews from critics with praise for Vijay's performance, music, action sequences and entertainment value but received criticism for the screenplay and melodramatic approach. It grossed around ₹290–293 crore at the box office.

A Kerala-based distributor, Roy Augustine, has claimed that Varisu grossed only around ₹ 6.8 crore in Kerala — notably lower than the widely circulated figure of ₹ 13 crore for the state. In a letter to Vijay, Augustine alleged that the film resulted in a loss for him, and requested the return of the “excess advance amount” he had paid. He also accused the actor of evading tax by not paying GST on the amount he received. This claim has sparked discussion in film industry circles and among fans, with some questioning whether the publicly reported box office numbers for Varisu were inflated.

Following its release, some theatre owners contested the reported box office figures for Varisu. Tirupur Subramaniam, President of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, publicly disputed the claim that the film had grossed ₹210 crore worldwide, suggesting that the figure was inflated.