Love Insurance Kompany (LIK) nded up as a major disappointment at the box office, with the Pradeep Ranganathan starrer failing to meet expectations during its theatrical run. Weeks after its release, director Vignesh Shivan opened up about the setback in an emotional Instagram story.
Vignesh Shivan revealed that many people had messaged him saying they skipped the film in theatres because of the “overwhelming negativity” they saw online. He noted that while some films survive negative reviews, others struggle when public perception turns against them.
The director also took aim at reviews written to showcase “intelligence or superiority,” saying such criticism can discourage audiences from giving a film a chance and even “crush the dreams of ambitious filmmakers.”
Admitting that he is yet to come to terms with LIK’s box office result, Vignesh Shivan said what hurt him the most was how quickly the narrative changed after what he described as a promising opening weekend. He added that the film was an earnest attempt to create something “different, complete, and original” and deserved a little more generosity from audiences.
Ending on a reflective note, Vignesh Shivan recalled advice from a celebrated filmmaker: “Oru padathoda vetri, adhukkulla irukkuradha vida, veliya dhaan adhigama irukku” (“A film’s success is often determined more by what surrounds it than by what exists within it.”). Through the quote, Vignesh Shivan suggested that external factors can sometimes play as significant a role in a film’s fate as the film itself.
