Distributors, theatre owners ask Rajinikanth to refund losses after Lingaa flops

It is not everyday that a movie by superstar Rajinikanth flops. But with the superstar’s latest film Lingaa failing to impress his fans, Rajini and the producers might be in trouble. A group of distributors and cinema theatre owners are demanding refunds, with one distributor approaching the court to get permission to go on fast unless he was refunded his money. As compared to Rajini’s earlier blockbusters Sivaji and Enthiran, Lingaa failed to create the Thalaivaa magic onscreen and according to media reports has caused a loss of Rs 40 crore for distributors in Tamil Nadu. According to this NDTV article, seven distributors – Marina Pictures being one of the first – have asked Rajini to step in and refund the losses. [caption id=“attachment_2036847” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Image from Facebook.[/caption] R Singaravadivelan, who distributed the film in Trichy and Thanjavur districts have also asked for the Madras High Court’s permission to go on fast from 11 am on Friday, a report in The Times of India said. By the time HC Justice TS Sivagnanam took up Singaravadivelan’s case for hearing, four other distributors had joined the cause asking for a refund, the NDTV report said. “While Marina (owned by Singaravadivelan) said it suffered losses in Trichy and Thanjavur areas, Vijayabhargavi Entertainers said it suffered losses in Chengalpet region. Capricorn Pictures said it incurred loss in North Arcot and South Arcot (Cuddalore-Villupuram) circles. Sukra Films and Chandrakala Movies said they lost money in Coimbatore and Tiruneveli-Tuticorin respectively,” The Times of India report said. Noting that the law cannot prevent someone from staging a demonstration against another individual, asked the Chennai police to take a call whether the fasting should be allowed on Friday, the TOI report said. The distributors said that after almost 25 days of its release, Lingaa only recovered a meagre 30 percent of the down payment. Speaking with NDTV Singaravadivelan said, “Since most distributors suffered heavy losses due to the failure of the film, we had urged the producer and actor Rajinikanth to repay the initial investment. Since there was no response, I submitted this petition to go on a fast.” Distributors demanding for a refund if a film does not do as expected is not completely unheard of. When Rajini’s ‘Baba’ flopped on the box office, the superstar probably became the first and “only producer and actor” to refund losses to his producers and distributors.