29 January,2021 07:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Upala KBR
Maidaan movie poster
On Monday, SS Rajamouli announced that his magnum opus RRR, starring Ram Charan, NT Rama Rao Jr and Ajay Devgn, will hit theatres on October 13. Boney Kapoor is seeing red at the decision - after all, his sports drama Maidaan, starring Devgn, had already booked the Dussehra weekend.
"We had announced last year that Maidaan will release on Dussehra. Despite knowing this, Rajamouli lined up his film for the same [weekend]. This, when Ajay requested him and RRR producer [DVV Danayya] to talk to me about the release dates," exclaims Kapoor. The producer adds that the makers had kept Devgn in the dark about their release plan. "They informed Ajay only a day before they made the announcement. [In clashing with my film], you are disrespecting not only me, but also Ajay who has graciously been a part of your movie. When I called Rajamouli, he said it was not his call but his producers' and distributors'. Having made 40 films, I can tell you that no distributor can [dictate terms] to a producer."
Kapoor reveals that Rajamouli and he have been on bad terms since the Baahubali days. The South filmmaker had approached Sridevi for Sivagami's role in the 2015 blockbuster. "Producer Shobu Yarlagadda had offered her a fee that was less than what she had got for English Vinglish [2012]. So, we let the film pass. But after Baahubali's release, Rajamouli said that Sridevi's unprofessional approach was the reason [for her exit]. He claimed that she demanded an entire floor to herself, and wanted a huge entourage. Sridevi clarified later that esteemed filmmakers, including Kamal Haasan and K Raghavendra Rao, wouldn't have worked with her if she was so unprofessional."
SS Rajamouli had approached Sridevi to play Sivagami in his 2015 blockbuster, Baahubali
Ask him if their history has any bearing on the current scenario, and the filmmaker says, "Your guess is as good as mine. All I can say is it's unprofessional of them to do this."
