Ajai Rao addresses controversy surrounding his ‘absence’ in Love You Rachchu promotions

When the lead actor does not make it to promotional events of a film, it most certainly raises eyebrows. That’s what’s been happening with the upcoming Kannada film Love You Rachchu, which has Ajai Rao in the lead, along with Rachita Ram. The actor recently addressed the media to clear the air about his absence.

“Love You Rachchu is my film, and I am emotionally attached to it. I have supported the making of the film from start-to-finish and gone out of my way to make things work on the set, since it was being ‘directed’ by a newcomer, Shankar S Raj. However, I must admit that there have been some issues between me and producer Guru Deshpande, to the extent that I have felt insulted too. In such a scenario, I cannot pretend that all is well and sit next to him to promote the film. That does not mean that I am forsaking the film. I have made it abundantly clear to the producer that I will promote it to the best of my capability, but not on public platforms, along with the rest of the team. I will speak to each and every media outlet that approaches me about Love You Rachchu,” stated Ajai.

According to media reports, the issues between Ajai and the team began much earlier. Love You Rachchu is a film written by director Shashank, with whom Ajai has worked earlier. In fact, the actor intended to make it as a home production, when as a gesture of sympathy, he gave it to Guru Deshpande’s banner instead. “I already had a vision for the film at the time that I gave the production reins to Guru. But when he and his team came onboard, there was a different point of view in how to narrate the tale. Along the way, there were differences of opinion, which, over time, became personal in nature,” he adds.

The reports also suggest that although Shankar is credited as the film’s director, much of the film was made by Ajai. In fact, the agreement between Guru and Ajai was that the actor would direct it. “Now that it has been publicly announced that Shankar is the director of Love You Rachchu, there is no point debating it anymore. What’s more important now is telling our audience whether the product that we are bringing to the screen is good. I am looking at this film as a project that will give me, as an actor, a boost,” he said.