Keerthy’s debut film caught in controversy

Natti Kumar and Chanti Addala trade charges

A couple of days back, Natti Kumar had released a statement saying he is the producer of Keerthy Suresh’s debut film Ayina Ishtam Nuvvu. Chanti Addala was the original producer of the film, which has been lying in the labs for the last few years, after work on it was stopped for some undisclosed reason. Now that Keerthy has become a big star, interest in the film has revived, and Natti Kumar had purchased it from Chanti Addala. But the new producer accused Chanti of demanding more money from him. Speaking exclusively to DC, Chanti responds to the allegations.

“The film is almost complete, there is just four days’ worth of work pending. A few key scenes have to be shot. Natti Kumar was one of those who approached me to buy the film. He came with his family to my house and requested me to sell the film to him, and I agreed. He gave a few cheques and made an agreement. Kumar requested me not to present the cheques as there was no balance in his account. So, I didn’t present the cheques and there has been no money transaction till now,” says Chanti.

He points out that Natti had however made use of the agreement to establish that he had got the rights of the film, and released some posters with his name as producer. “I filed a complaint in the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFFC) and they appointed a committee and finally gave their verdict recently in my favour. They even sent a letter to the laboratory which has prints of the film, saying that the film belongs to Chanti. But Natti Kumar is still using his name as producer and I am now planning to go legal,” Chanti adds.

According to a source, Keerthy Suresh is willing to complete her pending portion of the film, but lead actor Naveen Vijay Krishna has put on some weight in the interim, and needs to lose it. This may take a few months, so the film may see the light only next year. Ram Prasad Ragutu is also making his debut in the film, as director.