Puri Jagannadh's much-hyped and anticipated film Liger turned out to be a colossal disaster at the box office. Headlined by Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Panday and Ramya Krishnan, the film failed to find an audience in theatres amid discouraging reviews. Now, as per the latest reports, a few distributors have allegedly decided to protest against Puri Jagannadh over settlement issues.
In a tweet shared by Ram Gopal Varma on Twitter, a WhatsApp conversation claimed that the distributors of Liger are allegedly planning to protest outside Puri Jagannadh's house. The message reportedly stated that 83 distributors were affected by Liger and its box office business.
Threatening Msg circulating in Distribution groups about LIGER pic.twitter.com/RkYRYkNrwz
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) October 24, 2022
On the other hand, an audio clip has gone viral in which Puri Jagannadh can be heard hitting back at the distributors. In the leaked audio clip, the filmmaker said, "Are you blackmailing me? There is no need for me to return the money. I am still doing it because the distributors faced losses. We had convened a meeting and decided on an amount. I had informed them that I would make the payment within a month. Despite agreeing to the terms, they are now overreacting. This makes me question my decision to refund the amount. I am returning the money for honour. But, if you destroy that, I won't give you a single penny."
Director #PuriJagan leaked conversation on phone pic.twitter.com/syZ8GuKpzd
— Dhanush (@Always_kaNTRi) October 24, 2022
He further stated, "We are all gambling in this business. While some films work, some don't. From Pokkiri and iSmart Shankar, many buyers owe me money. Will the buyers association collect it ? If you say you will protest, go ahead. I will make a list of the people who participated in the protest and will give payment to those who are not part of the protest."
— Dhanush (@Always_kaNTRi) October 24, 2022
The above audio clips and WhatsApp conversation's screenshot come from unverified sources. Puri Jagannadh and his team are yet to react to the above news and issue a clarification in the media.
Post the failure of Liger, Vijay reportedly decided to return more than Rs 6 crore from his remuneration to the producers. After being a disaster at the box office, Liger is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
(Source: Twitter)
