DC Exclusive: Pranadeep was rude, used foul language: Payal Rajput's team

While Payal Rajput's upcoming film Rakshana is gearing up for release on June 7, all is not well between the makers of the movie and the actress. Payal recently accused the producers of threatening to ban her from Tollywood for failing to promote the film. In a social media post, Payal contended that Rakshana was greatly delayed and the makers now want to benefit from her recent success. She also accused them of pressuring her to appear for promotions while her dues were yet to be cleared. The producers too filed a complaint with the TFPC.

We reached out to Payal Rajput, who's shooting for a movie in London, to understand what really happened.

Payal’s team says the accusations are false and there is needless hatred towards Payal being spread in the Telugu film industry (TFI).

“We received a call to attend a meeting at the film chamber to resolve the issues regarding the film's release. I attended the meeting because we wanted to conclude the matter,” says the actor’s manager.
He says he urged the filmmakers to resolve the matter as Payal too was keen on the film’s release. Payal’s team also urged the makers to secure a few screens and release it directly on OTT, which the actor would willingly support.

Due to the actor's tight schedule and prior commitments, “Payal doesn’t even remember the storyline well enough to promote it effectively,” he says.

About not being there for promotions, Payal’s manager says, “Payal’s schedule is very tight due to prior commitments, and she only has 2-3 days free, which she wants to spend with her parents who have been unwell for the past few months. Her father underwent heart surgery, and her mother had knee surgery, and there is no one else to care for them.”

He goes on to add, “Instead of resolving the issue, Pranadeep started yelling and using foul language in the office, saying things like, “Distributors are asking why Payal didn’t take off her clothes in the film; that’s why they don’t want to buy it.”

The producer reportedly gave excuses that the film didn’t get released due to COVID and refused to pay Payal her dues, stating he didn’t have the money.

“Despite this, Payal managed without taking any drastic steps. After discussing with others in the industry, we decided to push the film digitally since Payal won’t be available in India. We proposed recording interviews and promoting the film on social media, and we asked for her dues to be cleared and for her to be compensated fairly according to her current market value. However, they insisted Payal must be present for the promotions, which wasn’t possible due to her commitments,” Payal’s team asserts.

The statement from Team Payal Rajput concludes, saying, Pranadeep’s rude behavior, foul language, refusal to pay dues for 4-5 years, lack of understanding about her availability, and failure to communicate the release date of the poster, teaser, and film have left us feeling helpless. We hope you can understand our side and ensure justice is served.