BANGALORE: Zee Kannada has confirmed picking up the satellite rights of the Kannada movie Preethi Yeke Bhoomi Mele Ide (PYBMI) but denies having paid Rs 10.8 million for the acquisition.

Zee Kannada Business Head Anup Chandrasekharan said that the amount paid was nowhere in the region. “We have paid a much lesser sum, which cannot be revealed due to the nondisclosure clause in the agreement signed with the producers of the movie,” said Chandrasekharan.

Chandrasekharan also denied that Zee Kannada had acquired the rights of the film, Sathya in Love, for Rs 8.1 million.

“Zee Kannada does not believe in paying unrealistic prices for movies, even at the cost of losing them to rival channels. Zee Kannada will not purchase a movie for a price higher than its market worth,” an official Zee Kannada statement noted.

“The figure of Rs 10.8 million is just hype created by Prem, the director of the movie when he made a statement to the media recently. Zee has actually paid less than a third of that figure,” said an industry source while speaking to indiantelevision.com, on condition of anonymity. “Even blockbusters like Mangaru Male and Duniya have been sold for less than Rs 4 million each, and the figures of Rs 6 million to 6.5 million are being bandied by the industry,” informed the source.

PYBMI was procured by Zee Kannada in December and is one among the 27 Kannada movies it acquired last year.