After facing criticism for calling Chief Minister Vijay “the man who started it all for Karuppu,” actor-director RJ Balaji has now explained what he meant — and why he still believes Vijay deserves that credit.

At a recent fan meet conducted by Cineulagam, Balaji addressed the online discourse surrounding his viral post that followed Karuppu’s success. The post, featuring pictures of him with Vijay, had sparked debate, with several netizens questioning why he appeared to credit Vijay over Suriya, who eventually headlined the film.

Balaji clarified that his statement had less to do with who acted in Karuppu and more to do with how the project found its way to the right people. “I first went and narrated this film to Vijay sir and told him — this started from you,” Balaji said.

Revealing that he had initially discussed a different large-scale script with Vijay after Mookuthi Amman, Balaji said the project did not move forward because their timelines didn’t align. But the interaction ended up becoming an unexpected turning point.

According to Balaji, his opportunity to pitch to Suriya came only because of that earlier narration. “The main reason is that I got access to Suriya sir only because Vijay sir heard this story,” he said. Balaji recalled that when producers from Dream Warrior Productions first contacted him, they specifically asked if he could narrate “the story told to Vijay sir.”

“For that first door to open, narrating to Vijay sir became the reason. Somewhere in my mind and heart, that holds a very special place,” he added.