Sunny refutes cheating claims

In India, celebrities are often soft targets for easy slander and the latest to get burnt for being a star is Sunny Leone. After the Ernakulam Crime Branch (CB) unit filed a case against the actor based on a petition filed by the coordinator of an event that she was supposed to attend in the district on Valentine's Day in 2019, the actress put her side of the story in front of the CB to make matter clear.

Shiyas, a resident of Perumbavur, alleged that Leone of cheating them of ₹29 lakh, her remuneration, for an event scheduled to be held at the Adlux International Convention Centre at Angamaly. Currently stationed in Poovar Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram district, where she was shooting for the new season of MTV Splitsvilla, the actress' statement was recorded by the CBI team investigating the matter.

A source informs that contrary to what has been made to believe by the organisers who claim that she declined to attend the event after agreeing for it, the reality couldn't be more far removed. "The event was constantly getting rescheduled eventually clashing with her other work engagements.

Moreover, the fee was never paid in its entirety. ₹12.50 lakh, which was to be paid seven days before the event as per the agreement, was yet to be cleared. She, however, has graciously agreed to attend the event if it matches her schedule." Talking about it, Sunny says, "Half information is as dangerous as misreporting. I want to set the record straight.

As an artiste, work is worship for me. I was nothing but gracious, understanding even moving my schedule multiple times. But they wouldn't commit to set date. It is customary that to lock an actor's time, an advance has to be paid upfront which wasn't done till the nth hour. There's absolutely no chance that if I have set a date and time for an event, I wouldn't show up.

But due to lack of timely payment from their end coupled with the fact that they dilly dallied on finalising the date, I bowed out. I have other commitments in Poovar. These are testing times and we have been shooting round the clock, putting ourselves at risk, to make sure the industry is back on its feet.

Such slanderous claims and unethical behaviour on part of the event co-ordinators are deeply hurtful and unsolicited. I have already given the statement to the investigating officers and they are investigating on the co-ordinators as well. Let law take its course."

Sources add that along with Leone, close to five other celebrities also backed out from the event due to similar experience with the organisers which is currently being investigated.