5 min readChennaiMay 12, 2026 10:33 PM IST
Vijay has swiftly jumped into action as soon as he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. On Tuesday, his fellow Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan lauded him for ordering closure of 717 liquor outlets across the state. In another move, in favour of the Tamil film industry, Vijay has now granted “special permission” for 9 am shows of RJ Balaji’s upcoming action film Karuppu, starring Suriya and Trisha.
Karuppu’s FDFS shows
On Tuesday evening, the official X handle of SR Prabhu and SR Prakashbabu’s production house Dream Warrior Pictures, the banner producing Karuppu, shared a picture of Vijay at work in the Chief Minister’s Office along with the announcement. “Special thanks to our honorable Chief Minister Thiru. Joseph Vijay for granting the special permission for the 9AM shows of #Karuppu. #Karuppu – FDFS begins at 9AM, from May 14,” it read. Balaji also reposted the tweet on his X handle.
Karuppu stars Suriya as the titular Karuppuswamy, and Balaji and Trisha as warring lawyers. It reunites Trisha with Suriya 21 years after their last collaboration, Hari’s 2005 action film Aaru. Slated to release in cinemas on May 14, Karuppu has already collected Rs 4.45 crore from its day 1 advance booking at the box office across India.
Special thanks to our honorable Chief Minister Thiru. Joseph Vijay for granting the special permission for the 9AM shows of #Karuppu.#Karuppu – FDFS begins at 9AM, from May 14th🔥
A @SaiAbhyankkar Musical 🎵@Suriya_offl @trishtrashers @RJ_Balaji @dop_gkvishnu @prabhu_sr… pic.twitter.com/6sLumAcAFr
— DreamWarriorPictures (@DreamWarriorpic) May 12, 2026
Why does Karuppu need ‘special permission’ for 9 am shows?
While 9 am shows are fairly common in other states, Tamil Nadu theatres refrain from having early morning shows in order to avoid law and order issues arising from the massive fan following of the superstars. The state authorities began cracking a whip on early morning shows like 4 am — which were quite popular in the state earlier — after a tragedy during the Pongal clash in 2023.
On the special occasion, two tentpole films — H Vinoth’s Thunivu starring Ajith and Vamshi Paidipally’s Varisu starring Vijay — had caused a massive ruckus, thanks to its shows as early as 4 am and as late as 1 am. Massive commotion during the celebrations for Thunivu led to a tragic death, following which the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government restricted early morning shows, permitting screenings only from 9 am onwards and that too subject to special approval.
The rule was particularly applicable for superstar-led vehicles, as they can have only four shows during weekdays and a maximum of five shows during the weekends. The Tamil Nadu government has made only a few exceptions since then — like Siva’s 2024 action fantasy Kanguva, starring Suriya, and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s 2023 action thriller Leo, starring Vijay and Trisha.
Trisha and Vijay in a still from Leo.
However, in the case of Leo, the special permission was revoked within a few days of release. That led to the production house, Silver Screen Studios, to request for exception to the Madras High Court. But the Tamil Nadu state government maintained its stance in court as well. However, now, with Vijay’s political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in power, the rules have started to relax.
Vijay and Trisha’s connection
While fans of Karuppu are excited by this development and are looking forward to catch the First Day First Show (FDFS) of the film on Thursday, some have also pointed out that Trisha is the leading lady of Karuppu. The actor is in the news for her rumoured relationship with Vijay, which sparked when the two attended a wedding together earlier this year, days after Vijay’s wife Sangeetha Sornalingam filed for divorce, alleging his “adulterous relationship” with an actress.
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Vijay and Trisha, however, have long maintained they’re friends. The two, who first paired up for Dharani’s 2004 hit sports drama Ghilli, are one of Tamil cinema’s most enduring pairs, their collaboration going strong all the way till Leo three years ago. Trisha has been visibly supportive of Vijay’s political run as well, visiting him immediately after his election win. She also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay last Sunday and was seen hugging his mother at the event.
