Sivakarthikeyan moves to court, accuses Mr Local producer Gnanavelraja of non-payment of dues worth ₹4 crore

Actor Sivakarthikeyan has moved to Madras High Court after accusing producer Gnanavel Raja of not paying his remuneration of ₹15 crore in full for the Tamil movie Mr. Local. He said that only ₹11 crore was paid to him when he was signed for the project and the remaining Rs. 4 crore is yet to be cleared. Also read: Mr Local movie review: This Sivakarthikeyan and Nayanthara starrer is a harmless entertainer

As per Sivakarthikeyan’s complaint, he had entered into an agreement with the producer on July 6, 2018, for accepting to play the lead role in Mr. Local. As per the agreement, his remuneration was ₹15 crore and it was to be paid in different installments with the last of ₹1 crore to be paid before the release of the movie.

As per a report by The Hindu, Sivakarthikeyan has urged the court to restrain the producer from making any further investments in his ongoing projects such as Rebel, Chiyaan 61 and Pathu Thala. He also requested that Gnanavel be injuncted from transferring any rights with respect to the three movies either to film distributors for theatrical release or to Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms. The case has been listed for hearing on Thursday.

Sivakarthikeyan has claimed even though the film released on May 27, 2019, the producer had only paid ₹11 crore till then and the remaining ₹4 crore was left unpaid. Despite multiple reminders to clear the balance payment, it was never paid.

Sivakarthikeyan was slapped with a notice by the Income Tax Department on February 1 since the producer had failed to remit TDS for the payment of ₹11 crore. Even though the actor filed a writ petition challenging the notice, ₹91 lakh was deducted from his account which forced him to file the current case.

Sivakarthikeyan currently awaits the release of upcoming Tamil science-fiction thriller, Ayalaan. The film is said to be centered on a lost alien who finds a friend in Sivakarthikeyan’s character. It has been directed by Ravi Kumar.

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