3 min readHyderabadJun 10, 2026 06:48 PM IST
Director Sanjeev Megoti publicly called out actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar at the pre-release event of his film Police Complaint on Wednesday, alleging that she violated a signed agreement by refusing to participate in promotional activities and was even unavailable for dubbing at certain points during production.
Speaking at the event held at the Film Chamber in Hyderabad, Megoti said the actress did not respond when the team requested even a single hour for promotions. “It is painful when someone behaves this way after accepting remuneration,” he said. “This has caused a huge loss to our film.”
However, when SCREEN reached out to Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, she answered, “I showed up for everything I was called for. As for the remarks made at the event, I have not been made aware of what was said, so I am not in a position to comment on it right now.”
She further added, “I have my reasons, and I’m not interested in countering the movie team,”
Megoti said Varalaxmi plays one of the most significant roles of her career in the film and that the team extended every facility for her comfort during the shoot. Despite that, he said, she remained largely unresponsive during the promotional phase.
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Actor Krishna Sai, who plays a key role in the film, echoed the director’s remarks at the same event, adding that Naveen Chandra, another lead, also did not participate in promotions despite having an agreement in place. “It is disappointing,” he said, while maintaining that the film itself was strong enough to succeed on its own.
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About the film
Police Complaint is a horror-action-thriller built around the concept of the “chain reaction of karma.” Director Sanjeev Megoti described the film as a blend of horror, action, and thriller elements designed to deliver a distinct experience for audiences. It is Megoti’s eleventh film as director and was completed over 45 days with a cast of 52 artists.
The film was produced by Balakrishna Maharana under the MSK Pramida Sri Films banner and stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Naveen Chandra, Krishna Sai, and Ragini Dwivedi in lead roles. It was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Kannada. The music is composed by Arohana Sudheendra, Sanjeev Megoti, and Sudhakar Mario. The movie is slated for a worldwide release on June 12.
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