PALAKKAD: Movie director VA Shrikumar Menon has sent a legal notice to writer MT Vasudevan Nair demanding a compensation of Rs 20 crore for delaying the script and backing out of the film project based on the latter’s award-winning novel ‘Randamoozham’.
Shrikumar Menon sent the notice through advocate T R Venkitasubramaniam stating that a memorandum of understanding was signed by him and MT on August 22, 2014, for the transfer of exclusive rights for producing the cinematic translation of the novel based on the role of Bhima, one of the characters in the Mahabharatha. The notice says that Menon had paid Rs 25 lakh as advance.
The final agreement was signed on December 30, 2014, stipulating that MT would write and deliver the Malayalam cinematic script before April 30, 2015 and in English language before July 31, 2015. The notice says Menon paid MT a total of Rs 1.25 crore and Rs 75 lakh to the co-signatory and the person authorised by the writer. It says MT had said he wanted the script back because he wanted it filmed in his lifetime which was unethical as the director had done a lot of research on the project.
Money ‘matters’
The notice asks MT to pay H2 crore paid to him and his agent with 18 per cent interest per annum. In addition, Rs 20 crore is demanded as compensation towards the research and travels done by Menon in connection with the project.