Raghawa Lawrence imposed on penalty of Rs 2.5 crore

In a surprise move, Producers Council has ordered director Raghawa Lawrence to pay Rs 2.5 crore as penalty to Rebel producers J Bhagavan and Pullarao who had incurred heavy losses due to the over budget. Going into the details, Lawrence had promised to wrap up the entire shoot of Rebel for a budget of around Rs 22.5 crores. By the time the shoot ended, the cost of production exceeded the limit by over Rs 15 crores and made it a Rs 35-40 crore film. With the lukewarm response after the release, the producers have lodged a complaint against the director for breaking the promise made to them. After few rounds of discussions, Producer's Council now directed Lawrence to pay 10 percent of the agreed budget (Rs 22.5 crores) to the producer. which means he has to pay Rs 2.5 crores. A ban will be imposed on the director if he fails to make the payment. Lawrence created a new record with Rebel as this is the first time a penalty has been imposed on a Tollywood director for exceeding the budget limit. Producers Council's move is a fitting lesson for all the filmmakers who play with the lives of producers in the name of creativity.