Chennai, Feb 18 (IANS): Tentkotta, a popular movie portal that streams new Tamil releases legally, was influential in the release of filmmaker Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed Tamil thriller "Visaaranai" in the US, both in theatres and online.

"When the theatrical rights of 'Visaaranai' were sold, its makers didn't want it to be released in the US, Australia, Canada and Europe. However, I spoke to Vetrimaaran, explained the demand for the film in the internet market and convinced him to sell the rights," Varun Kumar, co-founder of Tentkotta, told IANS.

The film's rights were bought for a whopping price. While it has already released in US theatres, it will soon be released on Tentkotta's site.

Varun wanted to get "Visaaranai" released because he didn't want the film to face the same fate of National Award winning Tamil drama "Kaaka Muttai".

"Despite the huge demand to watch the film, 'Kaaka Muttai' never made it to the theatre in the US, and those who watched it was via some illegal website. Good films shouldn't be missed in theatres; they need to be watched legally. Hence, I decided to get 'Visaaranai' released, even if it meant paying more than usual," he said.

The film, which is based on Tamil novel Lock Up, stars Dinesh, Samuthirakani, Kishore, Ajay Ghosh and Misha Ghoshal.