Vijay Deverakonda on rumours of ₹200 crore offer for Liger OTT release: ‘I’ll do more in the theatres’

Vijay Deverakonda reacted to a report claiming that the makers of his pan-India debut, Liger, had been offered ₹200 crore for the direct-to-digital release of the film and its satellite rights. The actor responded by saying that the amount quoted is ‘too little’ and promised that the box office collection of the film will be ‘more’.

With the Covid-19 pandemic still raging across the country, theatres are struggling to regain their footfall, and several big-budget films are heading the OTT route. Liger, directed by Puri Jagannadh and marking the pan-India debut of Vijay Deverakonda, also stars Ananya Panday and Charmme Kaur. The film will release in five languages - Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

On Monday night, Vijay shared a post on Twitter which claimed, “Vijay Deverakonda and Puri Jagannadh’s Liger received a huge OTT offer of ₹200 crore for its direct digital release and the satellite rights in all languages. Makers are considering the offer.” He rubbished it and wrote, “Too little. I’ll do more in the theaters.”

In January, the first look of Liger was released, introducing Vijay as a boxer who is a deadly combination of a lion and tiger. Sharing a video of his fans celebrating with fireworks, milk showers and even tattoos, he promised ‘nationwide madness’ with the teaser.

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The Liger teaser was set to release in May but was postponed indefinitely due to the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. “During these testing times, we hope you all are staying indoors and taking care of yourself and your loved ones. We were all geared up to reveal a power-packed teaser for Liger on 9th May. However, due to the current scenario and environment that our country is facing, we have decided to postpone the same in the hope to share it with the world at a better time for us all,” a joint statement issued by filmmaker Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Vijay Deverakonda and Puri Jagannadh read.

Vijay became a household name with the success of the Telugu film Pelli Choopulu in 2016. He won critical acclaim for his portrayal of a hot-headed surgeon who takes to the bottle to cope with heartbreak in Arjun Reddy.