Bangalore police on Saturday arrested Kannada actress Nayana Krishna and her associate Anitha for allegedly beating director Rishi.

Rishi called for a press conference at a Gandhinagar hotel late evening to give details about his upcoming film "Kotlallappo Kai" when the actress and her associates hit the director.

According to The Hindu, Krishna accused Rishi of cheating her by not paying Rs 8 lakh that she had loaned him and of threatening her with dire consequences when she asked for her money. A heated argument between the two ended into a fight.

Krishna and seven to eight other women had then begun beating the director with slippers.

The actress claimed that the director cooked up stories in order to avoid paying her. On Friday, he assured to return the money the following day but had failed to do so, Krishna said.

Reacting to the whole incident Rishi told Deccan Herald: "A few youngsters who did not get opportunities in films formed a team to produce a film. Nayana was one of them.

"We all contributed money for the film. She had invested Rs eight lakh. However, exclusive rights of the movie are in my name," he said.

"She started demanding her money a few weeks ago. Nayana demanded the rights of the film for Mumbai-Karnataka, Mangalore, Bellary and Gulbarga areas, if I can't repay the money to her. The areas cost around Rs one crore and hence, I refused to give the rights. I told her I will return the money after the release of the film," he added.

Rishi filed a police complaint with the Upparpet police against the actress and the other women who had beaten him. Krishna and Anitha were arrested and later released on bail.