The Tamil Film Producers’ Council (TFPC) on Monday organised a meeting to address the ongoing spat between actor Bobby Simha and the makers of his recent film Agni Devi. The problem has been boiling for about a week, with Bobby Simha filing several cases in the court against Agni Devi’s production house Seatoa Studios, alleging that the film’s director, John Paul Raj (JPR) had broken their initial agreement together.
Speaking to TNM, TFPC Secretary Durai Raj says, “We have given him a day’s time to withdraw all cases and complaints. Based on his decision we will proceed further.”
Should Bobby Simha decide not to withdraw the cases he had filed, the Council might unanimously decide to boycott him in future, he adds.
On Thursday last week, actor Bobby issued a statement to the press which claimed that Agni Devi’s director/producer JPR had not kept his word and that Bobby was forced to withdraw from the film even while it was in its initial stages.
The actor claims that the director had included scenes that were not originally discussed and that this made him leave.
Claims that the director had completed the rest of Bobby Simha’s portions using a body double and graphics, in addition to dubbing for his role using a different actor were proven to be true upon its release.
A day before the film’s release, Bobby Simha circulated a supposed injunction order copy which he claimed to have received from the Coimbatore Sub Court where the case was filed. While the document is indeed the copy of the petition that was filed, it is still unclear if the Court had granted status quo on the release of the film.
On being asked about the authenticity of the order, Durai Raj maintains that it is not true, contrary to what Bobby's lawyers Vijay Kumar (Chennai) and Parameswaran (Coimbatore) have been maintaining.
“How will anyone release the film when there’s an order from the court? There wasn’t one and that is the truth. He has been circulating only the order petition,” Durai Raj alleges.
Durai Raj further adds that Bobby Simha’s actions have dampened the film’s collection, resulting in a loss for the producer. “We have been calling him for meetings at the Council to sort things out. He never came saying he’d deal with them in court,” says Durai Raj.
Actor Bobby Simha, who was seen playing an important role in Rajinikanth’s Petta, is yet to tell his decision to the Council. Speaking to TNM, Bobby Simha’s advocate still claims that the court had indeed granted status quo until April 4 in their case. “We have filed a new petition in the court for not obeying orders,” says advocate Parameswaran.
Agni Devi, a political drama, also starred Roja fame Madhoobala and actor Remya Nambeessan in important roles. The film released on March 22 and received poor ratings from critics.