Director Karthik Subbaraj has made a shocking claim regarding the backlash his recent film Retro, starring Suriya, has received. While the film opened to a lukewarm response at the box office, it garnered a fair amount of positive reviews in mainstream media. However, the director now alleges that a paid campaign was orchestrated to spread negative reviews online.

“Earlier, people were paid to give positive reviews,” Karthik said in a recent statement. “But this is the first time I’ve personally experienced people being paid to write negative reviews. It was a targeted hate campaign.”

He added that when he visited theaters, audiences seemed to genuinely enjoy the film. “It’s disheartening to see such deliberate negativity being circulated—not just random criticism, but a systematic effort to influence public opinion for money.”

Karthik’s claim that Retro underperformed at the box office largely due to this orchestrated smear campaign has sparked intense debate in the film industry and among fans. His comments have now gone viral, with many weighing in on the increasing influence of online narratives—both organic and manufactured—in shaping a film’s success.