Mohan G explains why he didn't ask to postpone Ajith’s ‘Mankatha’ re-release for ‘Draupathi 2’

As 'Draupathi 2' gets set to roll into theatres this Friday (January 23), director Mohan G has not just pre-release jitters, but competition concerns to address as well. The film, which marks the third collaboration with actor Richard Rishi, after 'Draupathi' and 'Rudra Thandavam', is releasing amidst stiff competition with re-releases of some heavyweights.

Mohan G attracted interest from all after he expressed his gratitude to veteran producer Kalaipuli S Thanu, who had obliged his request to hold back the re-release of Vijay’s 'Theri', a sentiment shared on social media as well.

Questions over 'Mankatha' and a direct clarification

Soon after, several social media users questioned why Mohan G did not make a similar appeal to the makers of Ajith’s 'Mankatha', which is also scheduled for a re-release on the same day. Addressing this in an interview with Cineulagam, the director agreed that it was a fair and valid question, noting that many had raised the same point on X (formerly Twitter).

He explained that the situation surrounding 'Mankatha' was fundamentally different, as its re-release date had been announced much earlier, leaving little room for such a request from his side.

Why didn't he approach 'Mankatha' makers?

Elaborating further, Mohan G said Mankatha was the first to lock January 23 as its re-release date, long before 'Draupathi 2' finalised its own plans. He said that his film had an original release date set for January 30, then moved to Pongal and then much later to January 23.

By the time this new date was officially announced, the film "Mankatha" was already booked and it would have been unreasonable to demand a reschedule.

However, upon his explanation, the more experienced Kalaipuli S Thanuk understood the dilemma of a smaller film among two releases from tier one actors.Mohan G explained that Thanu’s request for postponement was due to his personal experience in facing similar challenges and a sense of accommodation since he had also “faced similar issues personally” as a producer.

With few premium screens to showcase the film, a triple confrontation would have “negatively impacted Draupathi 2’s presence,” leading the director to make the request.

About 'Draupathi 2'

'Draupathi 2' stars Richard Rishi in the lead, supported by Rakshana Induchoodan, Natty Nataraj and Chirag Jani, with a strong ensemble including Vela Ramamoorthy, Ganesh Gourang and Y Gee Mahendran. The film is directed by Mohan G, with music by Ghibran, cinematography by Philip R Sundar, editing by Devaraj, and action sequences choreographed by Action Santosh.