Arrest warrant issued against 'Bhaskar Oru Rascal' producer over payment disputes with Arvind Swamy

Chennai: The Madras High Court has issued an arrest warrant against the producer of the Tamil film 'Bhaskar Oru Rascal', accusing him of failing to pay remuneration to actor Arvind Swamy. The warrant was issued against producer Murugan.

'Bhaskar Oru Rascal' is a remake of the Malayalam film 'Bhaskar the Rascal' directed by Siddique in 2015. Arvind Swamy signed a contract with the producer on April 7, 2017, with a remuneration fixed at Rs 3 crore. The contract included provisions for tax deductions to be remitted to the Income Tax Department.

Despite the film's release on May 17, 2018, the producer owes the veteran actor Rs 30 lakh. The accused also failed to remit Rs 27 lakh in taxes to the Income Tax Department. Later, the court ordered the producer to pay the actor Rs 65 lakhs with 18 per cent interest and Rs 27 lakhs to the Income Tax Department.

However, the producer claimed to possess no assets but failed to disclose documentation to verify the same. As a result, an arrest warrant has been issued against Murugan. Additionally, he is also facing another case for failing to repay a loan of Rs 35 lakh taken for a film's release.