 His appeal at the box office was evident after films such as "Leelai" and "Kadhal Pisase" were able to find distributors following long delays, while Telugu film-makers S S Rajamouli and Sai Kiran Adivi partially shot scenes with the actor before releasing a Tamil version of their Telugu films, through "Naan Ee" and "Vinayaga".Santhanam's first production venture, "Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya" directed by Manikandan, became a commercially successful venture upon release in January 2013.Producing the venture under his newly formed studio Handmade Films, Santhanam opted to introduce a predominantly new cast and keep a low budget for the project understanding that film production had "previously ended the careers of many".