Actress Kayadu Lohar has addressed the online controversy around her promotional commitments for her two upcoming releases, I’m Game and Immortal, which are set to hit screens back-to-back on September 3 and 4 respectively.

The actress found herself at the centre of social media chatter after fans noticed she was visible during the promotional run for Dulquer Salmaan-starrer I’m Game but largely absent from GV Prakash Kumar-starrer Immortal’s campaign, a gap that led many to speculate she was prioritising one film over the other.

In a conversation with Galatta Plus, Kayadu Lohar clarified that the timing simply didn’t work out. “I had only one day available for the I’m Game promotion, so I did that, and the team on Immortal didn’t have that date,” she explained, adding that she was tied up on another film shoot at the time with Suriya. She was quick to point out that the imbalance wasn’t one-sided either: “There was also an I’m Game promotion that happened later that I didn’t turn up to.”

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On the speculation itself, she was unbothered: “There are people who have their own thoughts about it, that this film is important and this film is not important, why she’s not there. I’m used to it, so it’s okay.”

The actress also opened up about stepping back from social media for a period, admitting the discourse was hard to navigate. “It’s still very difficult to understand all of this, it’s very political too, I feel. I’m not great with it. I’m just a very innocent, honest person. I’ll just speak my heart out and be good to people,” she said, adding that she has “made peace with it” since the internet cuts both ways. She has since returned to posting after her brief hiatus.  She ended it on a positive note, “There are people who are talking good things also”.

On set, she credited a sense of “healthy competition” for keeping her grounded through pressure, rather than intimidation getting the better of her, particularly while shooting alongside a senior co-star like Suriya. “When I get challenged, I really push myself hard,” she said, describing it as the mindset that helps her give her best shot on a big set rather than freeze up.

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Two films, a day apart

On the film front, I’m Game is a Malayalam action thriller directed by Nahas Hidhayath, produced by Dulquer Salmaan and Jom Varghese under their Wayfarer Films banner. Besides Dulquer Salmaan in the lead, the cast includes Antony Varghese, Mysskin, Kayadu Lohar, with music by Jakes Bejoy.

Immortal, on the other hand, is a Tamil fantasy-horror film written and directed by Mariyappan Chinna, pairing Kayadu Lohar with GV Prakash Kumar in the lead. It was originally slated for a July 2026 release before being pushed to September 4 to avoid a box-office clash with Vijay’s Jana Nayagan.