The success of Karuppu has given actor Suriya one of the biggest box-office victories of his career, and the celebrations are turning out to be just as grand. After rewarding key members of the film's technical team, the actor has now gifted a brand-new SUV to filmmaker-actor RJ Balaji, who directed and also starred with him in the blockbuster.
A video of the special moment has gone viral on social media, showing Suriya personally driving Balaji around town in the new vehicle.
On Friday (June 12), Balaji shared a series of pictures and videos on Instagram featuring himself and Suriya. The photos showed the duo hugging and posing together, while the video gave fans a glimpse of their celebratory drive.
In the clip, an excited Balaji can be seen selecting a radio station before thanking Suriya for the generous gift. He tells the actor, “Wow, so nice, sir. I like this. Thank you so much.”
Sharing the post, Balaji penned an emotional note expressing gratitude to Suriya for believing in him from the very beginning. “And this is Us…! ❤️❤️ From day ONE, you believed in me. That ONE trust, turned a dream into reality, That ONE support, became the beginning of a new journey in my life. Booooooooom…. #Karuppu happened…! ❤️🔥❤️🔥,” he wrote.
Reflecting on the film's journey, Balaji further added, “What started as a promise I made to you became a reality as this mega blockbuster….!!! None of this would have been possible without the ONE and ONLY @actorsuriya sir !!! 🙏🙏 You’ve changed my life forever, love you sir ❤️❤️ Thank you for the trust, respect and most importantly this beautiful relationship that I will cherish forever…! 🧿🧿.”
The post comes shortly after Balaji faced criticism from a section of Suriya's fans when he revealed that Karuppu was initially conceived for actor Vijay and credited him for inspiring the project.
Meanwhile, the film continues to achieve remarkable milestones at the box office. Just minutes before Balaji shared his post, production house Dream Warrior Pictures announced that Karuppu had crossed Rs 340 crore in worldwide gross collections.
“The roaring divine blockbuster of the year 💥 #Karuppu enters its unbeatable 5th week with 340+ CRORES WORLDWIDE GROSS!” the production banner wrote on social media.
The film has become the highest-grossing movie of Suriya's career and marks a major comeback for the actor following the underwhelming theatrical performances of Kanguva and Retro.
Karuppu also began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on June 12 in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi, while its Telugu version was released under the title Veerabhadrudu.
Apart from Suriya and RJ Balaji, the film features Trisha Krishnan, Indrans, Anagha Maya Ravi, Natty Subramaniam, Sshivada, Swasika and Supreeth Reddy in important roles. The story revolves around the guardian deity Karuppusamy, who is challenged by a corrupt lawyer to deliver justice without relying on supernatural powers or corruption. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, its performances and emotional core earned appreciation from audiences.
