After facing box office disappointments with Kanguva and Retro, Tamil star Suriya aimed for a comeback with the mass entertainer Karuppu, directed by RJ Balaji. The film was originally planned for a Diwali 2025 release, a perfect festival window known for boosting commercial cinema. However, delays in post-production meant the team missed the release date, opting instead to drop just a song during the festival.

What makes this delay more disappointing is the unusually weak Diwali lineup in Tamil cinema. Films like Dude, Bison, and Diesel were the only releases, none of which catered to mass audiences or rural markets. Even Telugu cinema had no big hero releases this Diwali. If Karuppu had arrived, Suriya could have capitalized on the wide-open box office, potentially pulling strong numbers in both Tamil and Telugu belts.

This marks the second year in a row that Suriya missed a Diwali release. In 2024, Kanguva was pushed past Diwali and suffered a commercial failure. Many in the industry believe the timing cost the film valuable openings. With Karuppu, history may be repeating. While the film has promise and a strong first single, missing the Diwali buzz could affect its initial collections and momentum a golden chance missed yet again.