Raghava Lawrence opts out of Kanchana remake

Self-respect is the more important attribute than money and hence I am walking out of my debut Bollywood directorial venture Laxmmi Bomb,” revealed choreographer turned actor and filmmaker Raghava Lawrence just hours after the hero Akshay Kumar shared the first look of the film on Saturday.  

On May 18, the first look of Laxmmi Bomb was released on his Twitter handle by Akshay Kumar who went on to write, “Bringing you one bomb of a story, #LaxmmiBomb starring @Advani_Kiara & yours truly! Bursting in cinemas on 5th June, 2020 Fox Star Studios Presents A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment & Tusshar Entertainment House Directed by Raghava Lawrence.”

The same night Lawrence posted on social media that he was shocked to see the first look of Laxmmi Bomb as it was done without his knowledge and consent and that he feels very disrespected and disappointed.

In a statement he said that there are multiple reasons for him to step down from the project. He explained that he could still hold back his script as he has not signed any agreement regarding this film. “I won’t do it because it is not professional. I’m ready to give my script because I personally respect Akshay Kumar sir a lot.”

Laxmmi Bomb has Kiara Advani as the female lead and talks are on to bring Amitabh in the titular role of a transgender.

Lawrence’s detailed statement runs: Hi dear friends and fans. There is an old popular saying in Tamil, which tells ‘Don’t step into any house where there is no respect’. In this world, more than money and fame, self-respect is the most important attribute to a person’s character. So I have decided to step out of the project, ‘Laxmmi Bomb’, the Hindi remake of Kanchana.

“I don’t want to mention the reason because there are multiple reasons, but one of them is that the first look poster of the film was released today without my knowledge and even without discussing anything with me. I was informed about this by a third person. It is very painful for a director to know about his movie’s first look release from others. I feel very disrespected and disappointed. As a creator, I’m also not satisfied with the poster design as well. This shouldn’t happen to any director.”

He went on to say, “I can hold back my script because I haven’t signed any agreement regarding this film, but I won’t do it because it is not professional. I’m ready to give my script because I personally respect Akshay Kumar sir a lot. They can replace me with some other director according to their wish. Soon I’m going to meet Akshay Kumar sir to give the script and step out of this project in a good way. All the very best to the entire team! I wish the movie a great success.”