Mani Ratnam's Kadal released on February 1, and opened to mixed reviews. On Saturday, a few distributors arrived at Mani Ratnam's office and laid siege on it, seeking compensation for the losses incurred by them. One of them said, "We couldn't even recover 50 percent of the investment. We distributed the film hoping it will do well, but it didn't. On an investment of over Rs 10 crore, we couldn't even collect Rs 2 crore."

Tension prevailed in the entire area as the protestors voiced their demands in an agitated manner. The Police had to intervene, to keep things under control.