Suriya marked Karuppu’s runaway box office run by gifting RJ Balaji a brand-new SUV and taking him for a drive around town on Friday, a celebratory turn that matched the film’s new milestone. Balaji posted pictures and videos with Suriya on Instagram the same day, making the moment public as the film crossed ₹340 crore worldwide.

Dream Warrior Pictures said Karuppu had gone past ₹340 crore in worldwide gross and had entered its fifth week, giving Suriya his highest-grossing film so far. For a film that began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on June 12 in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi, and as Veerabhadrudu in Telugu, the milestone is a sharp commercial rebound and a sign that the audience response has outlasted its mixed reviews.

Balaji did not hide how much the gesture meant to him. In his Instagram post, he thanked Suriya for believing in him from day one and said that trust had turned a dream into reality. In another note, he said what started as a promise had become a mega blockbuster and called Suriya the one and only person behind the journey, words that fit a partnership that has now moved beyond one film.

The celebration also lands against an awkward backdrop. Balaji faced the wrath of some of Suriya’s fans after he revealed that Karuppu had initially been intended for Vijay, a remark that lingered even as the film’s numbers climbed. Suriya’s public show of support, and the fact that he has now given away more than one premium car after the film’s success, makes clear he is choosing to answer the controversy with generosity rather than distance.

That matters because Karuppu has become the cleanest box-office success of Suriya’s recent run, after the disappointments of Kanguva and Retro. The only unresolved detail is the one Suriya did not spell out: the SUV’s brand and price were not disclosed. But the message was plain enough in the ride itself. The film has given Suriya a hit worth celebrating, and Balaji is now part of that victory lap.