It all started so well last February, when Gautham Menon took to Twitter to announce he’d be co-producing Karthick Naren’s next, (later titled Naragasooran, starring Arvind Swami and Sundeep Kishan). He then wrote, “Happy to be a chapter in the journey of a brilliant young filmmaker.” Karthick also confirmed the news saying, “Will be teaming up with Gautham Menon. Love you, sir.” Fans went gaga over their picture on social media, and the announcement that a much loved senior filmmaker was joining hands with the hottest directorial talent in town.
Since then, it seems that the relationship has deteriorated. The row went public on Monday when Karthick mentioned ‘misplaced trust’ and ‘passion getting butchered’ without taking names in his tweet. There was widespread speculation that the young filmmaker was likely hitting out at Gautham Menon. Gautham put the speculations to rest when he shared a popular YouTube video about Chennai Super Kings, and alongside, took a jibe at Karthick: “While some young filmmakers whine about their passion getting butchered instead of growing a pair, here’s a young team that makes an interesting short about girls, women, cricket, CSK, and liberation.”
When we reached out to Karthick about this, he wasn’t yet aware of Gautham’s tweet. After checking it, he said, “Things haven’t been going well between us for quite some time now. I think the tone of his tweet shows who he is. Though he was on board as a co-producer, he has done nothing. He just used our money for his own project, Dhruva Natchathiram. Believe it or not, that’s the truth.”
Karthick went on to tweet, “While everybody advised against it, I had the pair to trust you and collaborate, sir. In return, we were treated like trash and made to invest on our own. I think it’s better to whine and confront instead of running away. Please don’t do this to any other young filmmaker sir. It hurts.”
Speaking to us, Karthick added, “I have been trying to talk it out with him, but he didn’t respond. There was always some distance. Despite completing the shooting on time, I couldn’t resume work on Naragasooran because of him. This is affecting my next film, Nadaga Medai. I have no money left.”
Gautham Menon, in a message to us, shared that he and Karthick have actually come to an understanding.
“I tried to understand his rant and I’ve explained what my idea is with regards to the release. We don’t have a release window and I’m liable for the money invested in the film and no, I don’t want the film to be on the shelf forever,” he texted. “There is a plan and we are working on it. Karthik is free to move on to his next and he’s doing that. We are in no way holding him back, and gave him complete freedom to work on our film.”
Karthick shares that he’s invested everything that he earned from Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru in Naragasooran, and alleges that Ondraga Entertainment (of Gautham’s) didn’t spend anything. “The film is actually funded by Badri Kasthuri sir’s Shraddha Entertainment and me,” he added.
Gautham informs that the actors Karthick asked for were brought on board at a huge cost. “I’ve brought in investors who have since then gone on to become solid support to Karthick and it’s all good. Even without his rant, work was going on to clear issues and clear the release. There is a strike going on and there’s no release date either. I am liable for the money and not Karthick, and it’s a huge responsibility on me and my team. All money will be sorted out once the business plans begins. It’s simple. It’s all good,” concluded Gautham.
Karthick says he has nothing against Gautham Menon personally. “But I am not spinning stories, and I won’t keep quiet because I’ve been affected.” When asked why he didn’t appproach the Producers’ Council for a resolution, he replied, “Hey, he’s the vice-president. His tweet yesterday is the first reply to me in a very long time. I’ll continue to fight.” The coming weeks will hopefully bring about a swift resolution to this ugly spat. It’d be a pity if a promising film like Naragasooran doesn’t see the light of day soon, on account of such background issues.
Source: The New Indian Express