Just a day after criticising actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar for not promoting Police Complaint, director Sanjeev Megoti has issued a public apology to her. At a recent press meet, the director openly expressed his disappointment over Varalaxmi's absence from the film's promotional activities despite playing the lead role. Actor Naveen Chandra also stars in the film.
“Many people asked me whether Varalaxmi was only playing a cameo because she was not attending the promotions. But in this two-hour-and-20-minute film, she appears on screen for nearly two hours,” Sanjeev Megoti had said.
He further criticised the actor, stating that although she had completed work on her own film Saraswathi, she did not participate in the promotions of Police Complaint. “Even she did not dub for her role for several months. She suffered a hand injury, and our team fully cooperated with her. Though she could shoot only for a few hours at a time, we adjusted our schedules. Because of the delays, the producer incurred significant losses,” he had said.
The director also pointed out that several others had gone out of their way to support the film's promotions. “Ram Charan is promoting films and attending events. Even veteran filmmaker Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who is 94 years old, came out to support and promote the film. Why can't Varalaxmi Sarathkumar promote this film? I had to repeatedly request her manager, but they refused,” he had said.
However, on Thursday, the situation took a dramatic turn. Sanjeev Megoti released a video apologising to Varalaxmi for his comments. “Even after suffering a hand injury, she came to the shoot and cooperated with us. That itself is a great thing,” he said.
The director explained that he had wanted to organise a press meet featuring Varalaxmi for the benefit of the film's distributors.
“In yesterday's press meet, I made a few comments about Varalaxmi, and I would like to wholeheartedly apologise to her. She never troubled the team or the film in any way. Many people called me and asked why I spoke like that about Varalaxmi garu. It was a mistake on my part, and it will not happen again. Dear Varalaxmi garu, I am very sorry,” he said.
Sanjeev Megoti also said that Police Complaint will be released in both Telugu and Kannada. “We screened the film for distributors, and only after watching it did they acquire the distribution rights,” he said. He added that audiences will get to see Varalaxmi in a completely new avatar in the film.
Meanwhile, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar took to Instagram and revealed that she had accepted Sanjeev Megoti's apology. She shared the director's video message on her Instagram Story, indicating that the matter had been resolved amicably.
