Bagheera director Adhik Ravichandran to quit making 'A' certificate movies: 'It was tough...'

Filmmaker Adhik Ravichandran's journey as a director in Tamil cinema hasn't been easy so far. He wanted to carve a niche for himself in the industry that was obsessed with making potboilers that catered to every audience. He wanted to build a formidable profile in the mainstream as a filmmaker who made 'A' certificate movies in Tamil. But, it seems that journey and vision ends with Bagheera.

"#Bagheera been a long journey since Oct 3rd 2018 to March 3rd 2023,can’t say it was tough but yea very challenging this period of time taught me to just hang in there.It’s for the target audiences-Bagheera from tomorrowit’s all URSmy last “A” certified picture (sic)," Adhik wrote on his Facebook page.

It's unclear what the exact reason that discouraged Adhik to stop making 'A' certificate movies. Bagheera remained in cold storage even after the completion of its production for a long time. The film went into production in 2019 and the shoot was cancelled due to the Covid outbreak. The filmmakers resumed when the Covid restrictions were lifted. Even though the filmmakers announced their plan to release in 2021, for two more years it remained in the can. It seems in the post-pandemic era the market was not conducive to releasing a movie with an 'A' certificate, prompting Adhik to take this decision.

Adhik made his directorial debut with Trisha Illana Nayanthara in 2015. The film starring G. V. Prakash Kumar and Manisha Yadav received mixed reviews. But it became a huge hit at the box office. His next film was Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan starring Simbu in the lead. The production was replete with many issues eventually affecting the final output. The film tanked at the box office.

Bagheera is Adhik's third directorial outing. The film stars Prabhu Deva in the lead and it was released in cinemas today.