Karthi's Vaa Vaathiyaar lands in legal trouble

While the release of Vaa Vaathiyaar has been delayed more than once now, the makers recently announced that the Karthi-Nalan Kumarasamy film will hit theatres on December 12. However, the film has now landed in legal trouble, which may cause the postponement of the film's release once again.

A case was filed by the Official Assignee of the High Court, following which the Madras High Court has restrained the release of Vaa Vaathiyaar. The case accuses the film's producer and banner, KE Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green, of not fully settling its dues.

The case goes all the way back to 2011, with a litigation which commenced when Gnanavel Raja and a businessman, Sunderdas, decided to invest Rs 40 crore each under an agreement to co-produce a film together. Sunderdas had invested Rs 12.85 crore in the project before stepping aside. However, in 2014, the High Court declared him insolvent and appointed the Official Assignee to assess his assets and liabilities to repay his creditors. On checking, the Official Assignee has reportedly found that Gnanavel Raja is yet to pay Rs 10.35 crores to the insolvent, following which he filed a petition in the High Court in 2016 seeking a direction for him to repay the amount with 18% interest from 2013.

The Madras High Court has now ordered an interim stay on the release of Karthi's film until December 5, and the case will be heard again on December 8.

Billed as an action-comedy entertainer, Vaa Vaathiyaar marks the first collaboration between Karthi and Nalan. The film, which features Krithi Shetty in the lead role, also stars Rajkiran, Sathyaraj, Anandaraj, Karunakaran, GM Sundar, Shilpa Manjunath, and Ramesh Thilak in pivotal roles.

While the plot details of the film are kept under wraps, it is believed that Karthi plays a cop who is a fan of the late actor-politician MG Ramachandran. He is possessed by the ghost of the former Chief Minister when he pursues a case. Vaa Vaathiyaar's technical crew comprises cinematographer George C Williams, editor Vetre Krishnan, music composer Santhosh Narayanan, and art director DRK Kiran.