Karavali row: Makers file police complaint, cite 'six-pack' clause in Prajwal Devaraj payment dispute

Days after the trailer launch of Karavali was disrupted by protests from actor Prajwal Devaraj's fans over the use of a dubbed voice, the film's production house, Gurudatha Ganiga Films, has broken its silence with an official press note detailing its version of the events.The clarification comes after the trailer launch turned controversial when a section of Prajwal's fans objected to the actor's voice being dubbed by another artiste, forcing actor Raj B Shetty, director Gurudatha Ganiga and other members of the team to step in and appeal for calm. Police complaint filed over trailer launch disruptionIn its statement, the production house said it has officially filed a police complaint against unidentified individuals who allegedly attempted to unlawfully enter and disrupt the Karavali trailer launch event. The complaint also seeks an investigation into those allegedly spreading misinformation and defamatory content against the film, its director and the production house through anonymous social media accounts.'Six-pack transformation' at the centre of payment disputeAddressing the biggest talking point surrounding the film, the makers revealed that a pending payment due to Prajwal Devaraj was cleared the day after the trailer launch incident.According to the production house, Prajwal had agreed to undergo a physical transformation, including achieving a six-pack physique, which they described as a crucial requirement for his character.

The makers claimed they had agreed to pay him a significantly higher remuneration because of this requirement. However, they alleged that as the agreed transformation was not achieved, the remaining portion of the remuneration was withheld.The filmmakers further claimed that Prajwal refused to participate in the dubbing process until the pending payment was settled. They said the production house waited for nearly two months before deciding to complete the trailer dubbing using another voice artiste.The statement also claims that several attempts were made to contact the actor during this period but he was unavailable.The press note states that prominent members of the Kannada film industry, including KVN Productions' Suprith, producer Jack Manju and Chakravyuha producer Lohith, separately attempted to mediate between both parties.However, according to the production house, those efforts did not succeed as Prajwal allegedly maintained that he would not participate in any work related to Karavali until the pending dues were cleared.The filmmakers further said Prajwal was aware that his voice would not feature in the trailer and that the decision to use another dubbing artiste had been communicated to him through his manager.