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Why Raj B Shetty says 'Su From So’ success shouldn’t be repeated
The Kannada blockbuster has redefined Sandalwood box office numbers, but its creators want to avoid formulaic filmmaking
- PUBLISHED: Wed 27 Aug 2025, 1:33 PM
Few films arrive in theatres as quietly as Su From So did, and fewer still go on to shake up the box office the way this Kannada-language drama has. Directed by JP Thuminad and fronted by a cast of newcomers alongside Raj B Shetty himself, the film has shattered records in Karnataka, grossing over Rs1 billion in just over a month. It is now the highest-grossing Sandalwood film of 2025 so far, and with a worldwide collection of Rs1.15 billion on a budget of Rs 45 million, it has become a phenomenon.
But amid the celebrations, Raj B Shetty is striking a note of caution. Addressing the audience at a meet-and-greet in the UAE, he said, as quoted by OTTPlay:
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“Please don’t expect us to make films like Su From So again. The minute we start making similar films, we will end up chasing a success formula. I think that would be the downfall of the industry. So, what we want to do is to try something new with every cinema, in the hope that audiences will continue to support us.”
With little pre-release buzz, the Su From So team relied on a breakout song, a gripping trailer, and a clever strategy of paid premieres to spread word-of-mouth. The result was a runaway hit that has also found success in its Malayalam dubbed version.
For Raj and his collaborators — director-actor JP Thuminad, writer-actor Shaneel Gautham, and others — cinema is less about business and more about creative freedom. As Raj explained:
“The easiest way forward for us would be to make a sequel, which would be commercially viable. But none of us on this team are businessmen. Today, a former security guard is a filmmaker-actor, a painter is an actor-filmmaker, a salesman is a writer-actor. Cinema has given us enough. So, we seek your license to be free, to be crazy, and not let us follow a pattern.”
Cast members JP Thuminad, Shaneel Gautham, Sandhya Arekere, Mime Ramadas, Deepak Rai Panaje, and Prakash Thuminad led the performances, with Raj B Shetty in a pivotal role. The film is currently playing in UAE cinemas.
