Towards the end of the year, 'Mantra' was released and it ended up becoming a surprise hit. But, there were lots of problems before the film's release and only now is everybody hearing about it.

Even before they began the film, everybody associated with it knew that it was being produced by small-time filmmakers and it was going to be made on shoe-string budget. By the time the film's shooting ended, to no one's surprise, the film overshot its budget and the producers ran into financial troubles.

The producers had to pay her a balance of Rs 5 Lakhs from her salary. They weren't. She sent a letter to the photo-lab telling them to not release the film until the dues are settled. The producers had to frantically rush in for last-minute negotiations with her.

Rumors say that she had finally agreed to withdraw her letter only after getting an assurance from the producers that they'd give her the Malayalam remake rights.