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Actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar made her directorial debut with S. Saraswathi. The film hit the big screens yesterday, and the movie opened to mixed reviews. After the release, writer Sai Madhav Burra took to his Facebook page and made comments about a film without mentioning the title. He stated that the movie started with his story, but was later completely modified. He even went on to say that the story was raped.
During the success meet, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar addressed the controversy and issued a clarification. She said, “I have immense respect for Sai Madhav Burra garu. I did not steal any story or script. I paid for the story, and once I acquired it, it became mine. The story had been with him for six years. I clearly mentioned that I took the basic plot and developed it further. I modified the screenplay to suit the audience. I also credited Sai Madhav Burra for the story.”
She added that Sai Madhav Burra did not attend even a single story discussion as he was busy with other film commitments. Varalaxmi said she felt bad about the senior writer’s remarks, especially his use of sensitive words like “rape.” She stated that such comments were inappropriate and insensitive, particularly since the film deals with a delicate subject.