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A letter purportedly written by Malayalam actor Shane Nigam to producer Sophia Paul, requesting that his character in the upcoming film RDX be given primary importance in the film as well as in the marketing, promotion, and branding stages, is now circulating on social media. It is learnt that Sophia produced this letter to file a complaint against Shane with the Kerala Film Producers’ Association, which became one of the reasons behind the Association’s recent decision to not include the actor in their future films. The Association had also announced its intention to avoid working with actor Sreenath Bhasi, alleging that the two actors have been creating issues on sets with their “indulgence in drugs”.
In the letter, Shane has written that he was initially made to understand that his character Robert was the protagonist of the film RDX, but the shoot itself and various other incidents generated concerns in his mind that his role was not given the adequate importance that a lead character demands. Seeking a clarification on these concerns as it may affect his “personal and professional life”, he said he would also like to know the extent of time required to complete the shoot as the deadline for the completion of the movie as per initial discussions had already elapsed. “Kindly let me know regarding the progress of the movie and further time required for completing the entire formalities,” he wrote.
“As you had promised me that I will be playing the lead role in the movie and the character of Robert is the most prominent character …, I humbly request you to give primary importance to my role in the marketing, promotion, and branding of the movie. While launching the poster and trailer of the movie, the character of Robert played by me should be given primary importance and it should be branded in such a manner that, in the eyes of the viewers, the role played by me should be reflected as the lead role. The said prominence of my character should be maintained in the final cut of the movie as well,” he further stated, adding that he was expecting a prompt and positive reply.
In her subsequent complaint to the producers’ association, Sophia wrote that she would like to bring to the Association’s attention the “unprofessional behaviour” of Shane Nigam and his mother towards her and her production team during the shoot. “During the filming of a seven-day carnival and fight scene, which incurred a significant daily expense, Shane Nigam demanded that he and his mother would only participate in the shooting if they were given prominence in the edited footage. As the main actor in the film, I offered to show Shane the footage but not to others due to technical issues. He partially agreed but then sent an email to my production company with new demands, stating that he would only continue shooting if his demands were met and signed by the producer. The letter included demands for a free hand in film promotions and that posters should not be released without his consent,” she wrote in the complaint, as reported by Onmanorama.
Sophia said it was only due to the intervention of filmmaker B Unnikrishnan that the shooting could finally be resumed. She is currently not sure if Shane will cooperate during the dubbing and promotion of the film, she added, further alleging that Shane’s indiscipline and unprofessionalism on the final day of the shoot also caused her financial losses and embarrassment.
Directed by debutant Nahas Hidayat, RDX stars Shane, Neeraj Madhav, and Antony Varghese. The film’s shoot has reportedly wrapped up.
"I humbly request you to give primary importance to the role of mine at the stage of marketing, promotion and branding of the movie" - #ShaneNigam's demand from his controversial letter to #RDX producer #SophiaPaul...!! pic.twitter.com/2cDzCFxPWH
— AB George (@AbGeorge_) April 27, 2023