BENGALURU: Arjun Sarja's friend Prashanth Sambargi, a film distributor, alleged that actor Chetan was supporting Sruthi Hariharan because he had been removed from a film which was directed and written by Sarja. Chetan was paid Rs 10 lakh advance for the film, but was asked to return the money later.
Sambargi, addressing reporters at Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) on Monday, said, "He was originally supposed to be cast in the movie 'Prema Baraha'. He begged not be removed from the film. I have messages to that effect. When we asked him to return the money, he didn't do so, saying that he had done a lot of running around for this film." Sambargi also said that he received threatening messages like 'I will see your end', which he stated conveyed the actor's intention to take revenge.
"This entire incident is staged, carefully framed and concocted. Shruthi Hariharan would retweet and like every tweet of Arjun Sarja but only recently she unfollowed him. What is the sudden trigger?" he questioned.
"Chetan has told someone I know 'Dushman ka dushman dost' (enemy's enemy is a friend) which makes it clear why he shared a stage with Sruthi and held that press conference under the FIRE (Film Industry for Rights and Equality) banner on Sunday," he added.
Sambargi said that he too was a feminist and supported the #MeToo movement, but that Sruthi was misusing the movement and making allegations under it's garb to get publicity.
He reiterated that Arjun Sarja was depressed with the allegations and his family had been equally affected. "I have never stepped into the office of the KFCC. The last I came here was when we were discussing the issue of dubbing Kannada films. But today I am here for my friend Arjun and convey the truth," he said.