Liger distributor says Vijay Deverakonda film failed due to ‘sabotage’: ‘We are ruining families of poor crew members’

Warangal Srinu, the south India region distributor of Liger, has said the film has been sabotaged, adding that there ‘seems to be a concerted campaign’ against the team. In a new interview, Srinu also responded to reports on if he lost ₹100 crore in the last year, adding the loss incurred due to Liger. He also spoke about Liger actor Vijay Deverakonda’s remarks ahead of the film’s release. Speaking about a section of the people calling for the boycott of the film, Warangal said that ‘we are ruining poor families of poor crew members’. (Also Read | Liger’s BO failure shows that you can’t manufacture a pan-India hit)

Liger, a sports action film, is written and directed by Puri Jagannadh. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages, the film is produced by Dharma Productions and Puri Connects. The film stars Vijay, Ananya Panday, Ramya Krishna, and Ronit Roy. Boxer Mike Tyson plays an extended cameo. The film failed to impress the audience and managed to earn ₹35 crore across India in its opening weekend, as per trade sources.

Speaking with Times of India, Srinu said, “Sabotage is the word.” He also clarified on losing ₹100 crore in the last 12 months. Refuting the reports, he said that he lost ‘a lot of money, no doubt’. He also said, “As on Liger, I have lost something to the tune of 65 per cent of my investment.”

On Vijay’s remarks ahead of the Liger’ release, Warangal said, “I can’t say whether he was over-confident. But if he was, how does it yet pay to not go to a film which is not bad? Do we realise that in our quest of banning actors and filmmakers, based on preconceived notions, we are ruining poor families of poor crew members. The movies will decrease and lead to chaos in several families who depend on it for their daily meal. The movie industry is going through a very bad phase and social media users who are members of the unjustified ban culture that has come to dominate, should be ignored. There seems to be a concerted campaign against us, almost every day. This is totally uncalled for. See the film and if you don’t like it, thrash it. But how can you thrash it before it has been released and you haven’t seen it?”

Earlier, Vijay had said about Liger, as quoted by news agency ANI, “We’ve put our heart into making this film. And I believe that I am correct. I feel that there is no room for fear, when I had nothing, I didn’t fear, and now after having achieved something, I don’t think there needs to be any fear even now. Maa ka aashirwaad hai, Logon ka pyaar hai, Bhagwaan ka haath hai, andar aag hai, Kaun rokenge dekh lenge (We have mother’s blessings, people’s love, God’s support, a fire inside us, we will see who will stop us)!” Liger marks Vijay’s debut in Hindi cinema.