Filmmaker S Shankar has found himself at the centre of social media criticism after making bold statements about his upcoming project titled Velpari. The director claimed that the film, an adaptation of the historical Tamil novel, has the potential to match the global scale and technological achievements of international hits like Avatar and Game of Thrones. Speaking at a recent event, Shankar said, “Enthiran (2010 film with superstar Rajinikanth) was my previous dream project. Now, Velpari is my dream film. It has the scope to introduce new technologies like Game of Thrones and Avatar. Velpari has the potential to become the pride of Tamil cinema and Indian cinema. It can achieve global recognition. Hope the dream comes true.” “Enthiran was my Previous Dream project, now #Velpari is my dream film🤞. It scope to introduce new technologies. Like GameOfThrones & Avatar, Velparu has all scope to become our Pride Indian-Tamil film❤️‍?. Hope Dream comes true” – #Shankar at today’s event pic.twitter.com/Hr1v2TWk0h — AmuthaBharathi (@CinemaWithAB) July 11, 2025 However, the director’s grand vision has sparked skepticism online, especially given the poor performance of his recent films. His last two releases, Game Changer and Indian 2, failed to meet expectations, both at the box office and among critics. Game Changer, starring Ram Charan, was reportedly made on a massive budget of Rs 400 crore but managed to earn only Rs 186 crore worldwide. Similarly, Indian 2, produced on a budget of Rs 250 crore, grossed about Rs 150 crore globally. Both projects were widely considered commercial disappointments. Following his comments about Velpari, several users on social media platforms expressed frustration, accusing Shankar of focusing too much on high budgets and flashy technology, while ignoring storytelling and financial accountability. One user wrote, “Producer will have to beg after this film… Sir, at least try to do good films in a limited budget. You waste too much money! Who spent 75 crore for a song only?” Others called for him to scale down his productions or even suggested retirement. Shankar has yet to respond to the backlash, but with no confirmed producer yet attached to Velpari, questions remain about whether the ambitious project will move forward.