Man with the Power of Fire)[9] is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language epic fantasy action film[a] directed by Siva and produced by Studio Green, together with UV Creations.
The film stars Suriya in dual roles, alongside Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Natty Subramaniam, K. S. Ravikumar, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley, Kovai Sarala, Ravi Raghavendra and Karunas.
Two months after the release of Siva's Viswasam (2019), reports claimed that Suriya would collaborate with the former for a film to be produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green.
The project was confirmed to be bankrolled by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under the banner of Studio Green and was supposed to go on floors after Suriya had completed filming for Soorarai Pottru (2020).
[48] Deol in an interview to Bollywood Hungama admitted that his role required significant physical preparation, where he had to wear a hairpiece, apply scars and use custom-made contact lenses.
[66][67] Few days later, the team started shooting action sequences at a grand set erected at Ennore Port, which were choreographed by Supreme Sundar, who was hired during this schedule.
[102] On 21 February, Suriya began dubbing for his portions at Gnanavel Raja's then newly constructed post-production studio Aadnah Arts in Mumbai.
[117] A 94-second glimpse video revealing Suriya's appearance from the periodic portions released on the midnight of 23 July 2023, coinciding with the actor's birthday, along with the film's first teaser poster also being unveiled on the same day.
[120][121] On 19 March 2024, 52-second teaser trailer was showcased at an event hosted by Amazon Prime Video in Mumbai,[122] where the streaming platform announced their acquisitions of big-budget Indian films, with Kanguva being one of them.
[127] Promotional activities for the film kickstarted from 17 October, with a press interaction held at the MovieMax theatre in East Andheri, Mumbai that saw the attendance of Suriya and Deol.
[132][133] The same day, Suriya and Deol shot for an episode featured in the fourth season of the talk show Unstoppable hosted by Nandamuri Balakrishna.
[145] The event was felicated by directors S. S. Rajamouli, Boyapati Srinu, producers Allu Aravind, Daggubati Suresh Babu and actors Vishwak Sen and Siddhu Jonnalagadda as the chief guests, alongside the cast and crew.
[146] On 10 November, the team hosted the promotional meet-and-greet event at the City Centre Deira in Dubai,[147] where the makers unveiled the film's second trailer.
[150] On 12 November, the team attended another pre-release event at the Miraj Cinemas, Wadala, Mumbai, with an exhibition showcasing the traditional outfits and costumes depicted in the film's periodic portions.
[158] Speaking of this decision, Gnanavel Raja revealed that he was ambitious on "expanding the film's marketing and distribution to new territories, thereby opening doors to unparalleled box office success and broader international reach for Tamil cinema".
[175] The film began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from 8 December 2024 in Tamil and dubbed versions of Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages.
[182][183] Raisa Nasreen of Times Now gave 3/5 stars and wrote "It is safe to say that Kanguva stands true to its theme, which is a war film that shuttles between two timelines—the present and the past.
"[184] Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Kanguva is not a great film but a decent entertainer with Suriya's impeccable performance being the biggest highlight.
"[186] Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Kanguva is definitely a spark that could have created a forest fire, but it settles to just gloriously burn down a few trees before gradually becoming a golden ember, a stark reminder of what could have been.
"[188] Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Kanguva, which was touted as a fantasy action movie, has left many aspects of the film unexplored.
"[189] Prathibha Joy of OTT Play gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Suriya lives and breathes Kanguva and is his earnest best, but that’s not going to be enough to salvage the film that’s crumbling at all other ends.
"[190] Ankit Ojha of The National gave a rating of 2/5 and wrote, "the intensity of Suriya’s performances in his dual role and Deol’s terrifying presence as the villain will take its viewers to the end of the line, but there’s not much otherwise to hold onto as you leave the cinemas.
"[191] Nirmal Jovial of The Week gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Reports suggest a budget between ₹300–350 crore, but once again, it proves that all the money in the world can't compensate for a weak script, and there's only so much the actors can do without strong storytelling.
"[192] Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote "With a story that banks too much on its period portions, and assures a far more promising storyline in future titles, Kanguva offers very little to enjoy at the present.
"[193] Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "Suriya is the heart and soul of Kanguva but the film by Siva just doesn't do justice to his performance and commitment.
[200] The Madras High Court dismissed the case as Gnanavel Raja ensured that the remaining amount be settled before the film's theatrical release.
[202] On 12 November, Justice C. V. Karthikeyan and G. Jayachandran from the Madras High Court issued a restraining order against the film citing non-payment of ₹20 crore (US$2.3 million) dues.
[204] As Sunderdas died in 2014 as an insolvent, his assets and liabilities were managed by his official assignee who filed a complaint against Gnanavel Raja to repay the dues of ₹10.35 crore (US$1.2 million) with an interest rate of 18 percent in 2019.
The Telugu version's release in the Nizam region, also faced similar issues as its distributor Mythri Movie Makers had disagreements with Asian Cinemas and PVR INOX resulting in the delayed bookings in the theatres owned by these chains.
[212] In response, Gnanavel Raja said this issue would be resolved, and cinemas showing the film were requested by the makers to "reduce two points of volume" to solve the problem.