Vetrimaaran reveals why producers pay social media influencers for positive reviews

Filmmaker Vetrimaaran is known for addressing pressing social and political issues in his films. And in return, he also faces incessant verbal attacks on the internet. However, over the years, Vetrimaaran seems to have developed a method that would insulate him from attacks from the outside. 

Vetrimaaran has advised young filmmakers not to steer clear of social media following the release of their movies. He noted he was not on Twitter and he recently exited Facebook, which helps him to stay away from all the online toxicity. 

Vetrimaaran is also not worried about social media reviews, positive or negative, as he believes they don't have any effect on a film's actual box office performance. "About 6 or seven years ago, I produced a film. And it was released along with another film. Our film got good reviews on social media, while the other film was bashed by viewers. But, we did a Rs 1.45 crore collection, while the other film earned over Rs 9 crore," he recounted during a recent roundtable discussion. 

ALSO READ: Mari Selvaraj opens up on fighting oppression in Tamil cinema

He also revealed the reason why the producers pay social media influencers to say positive things about a film, despite their little impact. 

"I spoke to international distributors. They told me that social media reviews don't directly affect collections. But, they pay them and encourage them to write good things because people who are involved directly - actors, directors, producers and cast and crew - access these things. And they don't feel good when they hear bad views about their films," he noted. 

ALSO READ: Vetrimaaran on the universal appeal of South Indian cinema

It seems that staying away from social media also helps Vetrimaaran 

to preserve his artistic vision and courage, instead of succumbing to undue social pressure. 

Vetrimaaran revealed that he also stopped taking calls from unknown numbers during the last few years. He noted after the release of his movie recently, which is Viduthalai Part 1, he received a whopping 2000 phone calls on a daily basis.