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Producers Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani have filed a police complaint against filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar for “misappropriation of funds.” The filmmaker directed the Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff-starrer action film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, which flopped miserably earlier this year. The 17-page complaint, filed on September 3 at Bandra police station, details claims made by the Bhagnanis’ Pooja Entertainment, which has accused Ali Abbas Zafar of “siphoning the subsidy funds he took from Abu Dhabi authorities” during the shoot of the film.
The complaint was made after Zafar, and Mission Raniganj director Tinu Desai accused the Bhagnanis of non-payment of dues, and also filed a complaint with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) against the producers. The police complaint by Vashu Bhagnani covers the production nightmare of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan in 53 points, elaborating the film’s conception, its production schedules and how Ali Abbas Zafar, along with his business partners “slowly and systematically” entrapped the Bhagnanis “in their criminal conspiracy.”
The police complaint notes how Ali Abbas Zafar wanted a director, writer and producer credit for the film, which the team collectively decided to mount on Rs 125 crore, which was the minimum cost of production (excluding the fee of lead cast and Zafar) to be incurred by the Bhagnanis. The producers claimed that later, Zafar more or less took over “control of the film’s production at the pre-approved expense” after having been approached on a “purely hire basis.”
However, Vashu Bhagnani claimed that Zafar started operating in an “opaque manner” and “systematically started to show their true colours and started withholding/suppressing material information,” such as being over budget by 6 crore without any prior consent of Pooja Entertainment.
The report claimed Zafar had “hijacked and taken over the entire production,” including shutting down any suggestion made by Vashu Bhagnani, including the idea of having actor Madhuri Dixit play an officer in the film “to add good value” to Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Later, the Bhagnanis claimed that they learnt that the entire production cost was exceeding by Rs 15 crore, “without any prior information let alone prior consent.”
“It is reiterated that the initial estimate was of INR 125 cr. which increased to and was locked at Rs 154 cr. i.e. as approved and undertaken by the Complainant (Bhagnani). The UAE leg was completed and solely controlled by the Accused (Zafar), which was supposed to have been completed at Rs 23 crore plus a fixed cost of Rs 8-10 crores (total of Rs 33 crores), however, the same was exceeded by Rs 6 crores. The Complainant were not provided periodic updates and accounts as assured, and therefore, it is evident that there has been major siphoning of funds and mismanagement at the behest of the Accused…
“On 11th May, 2024, the Complainant also reminded the Accused that he had only approved Rs 20 cr on the marketing front, which was later increased by few crores at the behest of the Accused. The Accused was asked as to who is going to pay for that. The Accused did not, however, respond to the same. Since it had been a month since release, the Complainant also offered to keep settlement meetings at their office to help settle everybody and to figure out the balance OB (over budget) since 90% production control was with the Accused still, despite steep OB expenses continuing to fall on the Complainant without their free consent. The Complainant sought the exact OB with details from the Accused but to no avail,” part of the complaint read.
Indianexpress.com has previously extensively covered the issue of non-payment of some of the cast and crew, who worked with Pooja Entertainment under various projects and were yet to be paid.
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