Suri got a phone call this week that he clearly wasn't expecting. Rajinikanth rang him up to say he'd watched Mandaadi and loved it, and Suri, visibly moved, put the moment out on Twitter for everyone to see.

Mandaadi released on September 10 in Tamil and Telugu, and it's been climbing steadily since. The film is nearing Rs 50 crore worldwide, a solid number for a film that isn't leaning on a franchise or a big-ticket villain-hero showdown, just Suri carrying a survival drama set almost entirely at sea.

Suri wrote that the superstar's call was a heartfelt gesture that gave him and his whole team boundless joy, and that hearing Rajinikanth's voice on the other end was a moment he'll treasure. Fair enough. When the biggest star Tamil cinema has produced picks up the phone for you, you remember it.

This isn't the only big endorsement Mandaadi has picked up. Actor Sarathkumar posted about the film earlier, and didn't hold back. He said he ran out of words after watching it, calling it a bold experiment Indian cinema hasn't really tried before. Sarathkumar's point was less about the story and more about the making of it, the film was shot entirely out at sea, and he singled out both the cast and the technical crew for pulling off what he called a genuinely difficult, sometimes dangerous production.

For Suri, this caps a run that's been building for a while now. He's gone from Viduthalai to Garudan to Kottukkaali to Maaman, and each of those picked him roles that weren't the standard leading-man template. Mandaadi, directed by Madhimaran Pugazhenthi, continues that pattern, a hero part built around endurance and a punishing shoot rather than star entrances.

The reviews so far have been kind, and word of mouth seems to be doing the rest. Whether Rajinikanth's call and Sarathkumar's post translate into a longer theatrical run is the thing to watch now. Mandaadi's second week at the box office will tell us if the Rs 50 crore mark is a plateau or a stop along the way to something bigger.