Gautami fires unpaid dues salvo at Kamal

In a letter that was posted on her blog on Saturday, Gautami charged Kamal Haasan and his production company, Raajkamal Films International (RKFI), with not settling the dues for the work she did as a professional costume designer for films produced by RKFI, and also for films that Kamal did for other producers. 

“This was my primary source of income as my working both in front of and behind the camera in others’ projects was actively discouraged… it grieves me greatly to have to say that as of October, 2016 [when the two parted], I had salary dues pending right from earlier films like Dasavataram, Vishwaroopam, etc,” she wrote in the letter. 

According to her, she made repeated efforts to recover the payments from Kamal and Rajkamal Films, as this salary was the only financial source for her to rebuild her life. However, despite repeated entreaties and requests, a significant part of the pending payment was still pending, Gautami alleged. 

During the time she was with Kamal, her only business engagement with him was serving as a director in a literary online portal that was started in 2010. It was dropped shortly afterwards. Stating that she had resigned from the position when she split from Kamal, Gautami said she had not received any salary or remuneration for the work. Denying reports in a section of the media that apparently implied that she was still associated with Kamal, she said, “I categorically state that this is completely false and I have had no contact with Haasan since we formally parted ways in October 2016.” 

Gautami said she had taken the decision to walk out and make her own life “because it had become painfully clear to me over a time period, even prior to October 2016, that our personal code of conduct and commitment had become completely divergent.” 

However, denying the allegations that Kamal’s daughters, Shruti and Akshara, had played a role in the breakup, she stressed that the failure of the relationship did not lie with anyone, especially with Shruti. “So much has been said about her supposed differences with me that led to this breakup but that is not true… Neither [Shruti nor Akshara] has any responsibility for the breakdown of the relationship. That rests entirely on Haasan’s change in commitment and my inability to accept that compromise and destroy my self-respect,” she said. 

The actor added that she had decided to speak out now because of the speculations over her association with Kamal continued unabated. “Many people continue to labour under the wrong belief that I support and/or subscribe to his words, actions and decisions. Indeed, a wrong belief that I am a part of [his] life in any way. I have absolutely nothing to do with him or his actions in any way – professionally, personally, politically or otherwise,” she said in the letter.