Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Faces Allegations of Non-Cooperation

Tamil actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has found herself at the center of a controversy after Police Complaint director Sanjeev Megoti publicly accused her of failing to fulfill promotional and dubbing commitments for the upcoming film. The allegations were made during the movie's promotional event in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Police Complaint, which stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar alongside Naveen Chandra, Krishna Sai, Ragini Dwivedi, and Aditya Om, is slated for a worldwide release on June 12. However, Varalaxmi's absence from the media interaction became a talking point, prompting the director to voice his grievances. Sanjeev alleged that the actress completed dubbing only for the first half of the film and did not return to finish the remaining portions. "After dubbing for the first half, she didn't come back for the second half. She made us suffer a lot and asked us to get the rest done by someone else," he claimed. The director further stated that despite repeated requests, Varalaxmi declined to participate in the film's promotional activities. According to him, she was paid ₹75 lakh as remuneration, while her staff expenses reportedly added another ₹50,000 per day, taking the overall expenditure on her to nearly ₹1 crore. "As per the agreement, she committed to attending five press meets, each lasting only around 40 minutes. Even after that, she is not supporting the film's promotions," Sanjeev alleged, adding that he had personally appealed to her several times but was told she was busy. Drawing comparisons with other industry figures, he noted that actors such as Ram Charan actively promoted Peddi, while veteran filmmaker Singeetam Srinivasa Rao continues to promote Sing Geetham even at the age of 94. The director also criticized what he described as double standards within the industry. "Managers never miss collecting payments from producers, but when it comes to promotions, they don't respond. Actors take lakhs as remuneration but won't come even for a press meet," he remarked. Sanjeev emphasized that promotional support is crucial for smaller films that lack the visibility and marketing strength of star-driven projects. He further made a sensational claim that a leading Telugu producer had allegedly removed Varalaxmi from a Prabhas-starrer after shooting with her for around 15 days due to concerns over professionalism. The director's remarks have since gone viral on social media, sparking debate within industry circles about artists' responsibilities toward film promotions. As of now, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has not publicly responded to the allegations.