'Tamanchey' director unfairly shown the door?

A still from 'Tamanchey'

Debutant director Bharat Ratan has alleged that he was thrown out of the film, 'Tamanchey', after completion of 95 per cent of the film. Ratan says that he was asked to leave over frivolous reasons and he has now has moved court to settle the matter.

A still from 'Tamanchey'

He says that before he could shoot the patchwork of the film, the Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) received a letter from the Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programme Producers (AMPTPP), requesting permission on behalf of the producer to terminate him.

"Producer Suryaveer Singh wishes to appoint a new director to complete just 5 days' patchwork. And his allegation is that I wasted footage by shooting for extra duration. The fact is that I shot the film in the digital format and didn't shoot anything other than the script as approved by Singh,'' he says.

Ratan adds that IFTDA refused to give the permission without his NOC (No Objection Certificate). "But despite this, the producer has acted against the rules and norms of the trade by roping in my associate Navneet Bahel to shoot of the remaining patch work. This is why I moved court, which asked me to seek arbitration in the matter," he says.

Suryaveer Singh, on the other hand, refutes all charges leveled by Bharat Ratan. Singh says, "He is a blackmailer and we had terminated his services within a few days of the film going on the floors. I want to ask him why was he sitting quiet till today. Now that the film is slated to release on July 4, he is taking advantage of the situation. We are going ahead with the release and he can take the legal recourse; we have already paid all his dues.''

Ratan, however, says that he has documents proving that he shot the entire film. "I have proof that both associations agreed to it on paper. Also, I ran around for one year seeking arbitration, but the arbitrator refused to consider the case as he is now a member of the directors' association and sees it as conflict of interest. I am fighting for credit and not money. If the arbitration procedure does not begin soon, I will go to court seeking a ban on the film's release," he says.