Filmmaker Raghava Lawrence took to Twitter on Saturday to announce that he will be stepping down as director for the upcoming Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmi Bomb. Lawrence tweeted that he will not be part of this Hindi remake of Kollywood hit Kanchana because he was disrespected and disappointed by the team.
Kanchana, a horror comedy which was released in 2011 was a sequel to Muni and portrays the tale of a ghost-fearing man who gets possessed. The film is set for release in June 2020. And while Lawrence had written, produced and directed the original, in the Hindi remake his role was limited to direction. The film's first look poster was released on Saturday and proved to be the last straw for Lawrence, who announced his decision to quit as director.
Bringing you one bomb of a story,#LaxmmiBomb starring @Advani_Kiara & yours truly!Bursting in cinemas on 5th June,2020
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 18, 2019
Fox Star Studios Presents
A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment & Tusshar Entertainment House
Directed by Raghava Lawrence pic.twitter.com/vlXyK4HkNE
In a short explanation on Twitter, he said, "There is an old popular saying in Tamil which tells ‘Don't step into any house where there is no respect.’ In this world, more than money and fame, self-respect is the most important attribute to a person's character. So I have decided to step out of the project Laxmi Bomb the Hindi remake of Kanchana. I don't want to mention the reason because there are multiple reasons but one of them is that the first look poster of the film was released today without my knowledge and even without discussing anything with me. I was informed about this by a third person. It was very painful for a director to know about him movie's first look release from others. I feel very disrespected and disppointed. As a creator, I'm also not satisfied with the poster designer as well. This shouldn't happen to any director."
Lawrence, however, remained gracious and wished the crew luck for the rest of the shooting process.
"I can hold back my script because I haven't signed any agreement regarding this film but I won't do it because it is not professional. I'm ready to give my script because I personally respect Akshay Kumar sir a lot. They can replace me with some other director according to their wish. Soon, I'm going to meet Akshay Kumar sir give the script and step out of the project a good way. All the very best to the entire team. I wish the movie great success," he added.
Neither the crew nor Akshay Kumar have officially reacted to Raghava Lawrence's announcement yet.
Kanchana which had been made on a budget of Rs 7 crore was considered one of the most financially successful films of 2011. The film also starred Sarathkumar, Lakshmi Rai, Kovai Sarala, Devadarshini in supporting roles.