Prithviraj Sukumaran defends Unni Mukundan's Marco: They kept saying it’s the most violent film, still you watch and complain...

Prithviraj on Unni Mukundan's Marco

Prithviraj Sukumaran, the renowned actor-turned-filmmaker, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the violence in Unni Mukundan's Marco, which released in 2024. The action-packed film, helmed by Haneef Adeni, received both commercial success and widespread criticism for its extremely violent content. While the film resonated with many audiences at the box office, it also faced a backlash from others who found the graphic violence disturbing. However, Prithviraj has come forward to defend the film and its makers, asserting that the complaints regarding its violent nature were misplaced.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Prithviraj expressed his disagreement with those who had issues with Marco’s violent portrayal. He emphasized that the film never misled its viewers about its content. According to him, the filmmakers had been upfront about the film’s violent nature from the very beginning. “I disagree with people having a problem with a film like Marco. It never pretended to be anything else,” Prithviraj said, defending both the film and his close friend, Unni Mukundan.

Prithviraj further pointed out that the promotional materials and announcements for *Marco* made it clear that the film was centered around violence. He shared, “Unni is a friend, and I know that from the time they set about to make the film. The first announcement itself was about violence. They told us that it would be never-before-seen violence, voyeurism upon violence, slasher film on steroids.” This statement highlights how the filmmakers never intended to mislead the audience by presenting the film as something it was not.

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In fact, Prithviraj believed that the audience should have been prepared for the level of violence before watching the film. He added, “That’s what they kept saying. They never fooled you into thinking that it was about something else. They kept saying it’s the most violent film… And then you go watch it and complain about the violence? Come on.” The actor's words suggest that the film's marketing was transparent about its content, and viewers who took issue with the violence were likely to have ignored or overlooked those warnings.

Despite the divisive reception, Marco became a box-office success and continued to perform well when it debuted on SonyLIV. However, it also faced significant criticism, including a ban by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on its satellite streaming rights. The board also imposed guidelines for its broadcast, restricting it to adult audiences.