Actor Vishal, who is promoting Rathnam, alleged unfair trade practices in the Tamil film industry and slammed those who try to exert undue pressure on members of the film fraternity for their personal gains.

Vishal, without taking names, accused Red Giant Movies, founded by actor-politician Udhayanidhi Stalin of manipulating the market to give advantage to their production ventures. He recalled that he faced a lot of stress during the release of Mark Antony, but he refused to give in.

"I had a major confrontation with a person in Red Giant Movies. Nobody owns Tamil cinema and if anybody claims that they do, they will not succeed in the industry. I know that person very well. In fact, I was the one who introduced him to Udhya (Udhayanidhi) in 2006 after Sandakozhi. And when he called me and asked me to postpone the release of my films, I was not able to digest it. My producer borrowed money and spent about Rs 65 crore on Mark Antony. He had also announced long ago that the film would be released on September 15 during the Ganpati festival," Vishal recalled.

Vishal predicts troubles for Rathnam

Vishal noted that he stuck to his gun and made sure that Mark Antony came out in theatres as originally planned. "If I had kept quiet I would have lost so much. Because we released the film on that date, the producer made profits, Adhik got a career break, and I achieved a great victory. I'm sure I'll also face similar issues for Rathnam," he added.

Despite receiving mixed reviews, Mark Antony went on to become the biggest hit in Vishal's career by raking in more than Rs 100 crore in ticket sales.

Vishal is hoping to recreate that success with Rathnam, which is written and directed by Hari.

The trailer promised a familiar tale of action and revenge set against the rural backdrop.

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