Latha Rajinikanth, wife of superstar Rajinikanth, was admonished by the Supreme Court of India yesterday (3 July) for failing to repay the loan she had taken to produce Kochadaiiyaan (2014). She needs to pay Rs6.2 crore to Ad Bureau, the film's financiers, within 12 weeks.
Latha’s company Mediaone Global Entertainment had taken a loan of Rs14.90 crore to complete the post-production of the film. The use of photo-realistic graphics had increased the cost of production.
According to the company, Latha has repayed Rs8.70 crores and a balance of Rs6.20 crore with interest was due.
However, the film, starring Rajinikanth and actress Deepika Padukone, and directed by the superstar's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, failed at the box office.
The Supreme Court bench, consisting of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi, said, “We do not like people playing around with court’s order. The long and short of it is that you [Latha] have not paid and the law will take its own course. We will pass the order.”
In the last hearing earlier this year, Latha had assured the loan would be repayed. “We had kept the matter pending [on 20 February] because you had said that you will pay the amount. Special leave petition is kept pending for three months,” the bench noted.
Ad Bureau had filed a plea in the Supreme Court after the Karnataka high court had squashed the plea against Latha.
The superstar's wife was in the news earlier this week after she met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai. The poltician has claimed that it was an informal meet.