Exhibitors, distributors to boycott 'Kuselan' producers

Chennai, Aug 22 (IANS) Tamil superstar Rajnikant may have promised Rs.100 million compensation to distributors of his box office flop "Kuselan", but exhibitors and distributors Friday announced a non-cooperation movement against the film's producers and the actor.

Small exhibitors and distributors across the state are angry with producer Pushpa Kandaswamy for blaming main distributor Pyramid Saimira for the losses, industry sources said.

"Exhibitors Pyramid Saimira's bosses saw the film a week before release, hiked its costs by publicity hype and hiked the ticket prices, going against the sane advice of Rajnikanth, and are responsible for the losses. Further, no film can be written off within 20 days of its release," Kandaswamy, daughter of director K. Balachander, said Thursday.

S. Palaniappan, head of a distributors' organisation, earlier this week complained that the distributors were taken for a ride by the producers, who claimed it was a full length Rajnikanth film, though he featured only for a little over 20 minutes.

The stir by distributors is likely to hit Kandaswamy's production house Kavithalaya. Its forthcoming releases, which include the Arjun-starrer "Thiruvannamalai" and "Krishna Leelai" are banking on the smaller distributors and exhibitors, who have now threatened to boycott the films.

Meanwhile, industry sources said that Rajnikant has asked producer Panchu Arunachalam to make a quick film and market it at a discount to help distributors and exhibitors recover their losses to avoid paying them more than his promised sum of Rs.100 million.

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