Troubles for producer Vashu Bhagnani and his Pooja Entertainment are far from having ended. After being accused of not paying lakhs to the crew members of his films, now, director Ali Abbas Zafar has accused Bhagnani of not paying his Rs 7.30 crore of his fee for the mega flop of the year, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
The film starred Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in lead roles, and while it was made on a whopping budget of Rs 350 crore, it managed to earn only around Rs 100 crore at the box office, thus leaving the production house and everyone associated with the film high and dry.
According to a report in Dainik Bhaskar, Zafar has filed a complaint with the Directors' Association against Pooja Entertainment for not paying him Rs 7.30 crore. On July 31, 2024, the Directors' Association wrote to Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE), regarding the complaint and sought its intervention.
When FWICE later shot a letter to Bhagnani demanding an explanation over Zafar's claims, Pooja Entertainment denied the director's claims, adding, "The dues claimed do not constitute a legitimate claim and are liable to various set-offs, as informed to us by BMCM Films Ltd.
FWICE has now asked Zafar to provide proof supporting his claims of unpaid dues. Meanwhile, the Ek Tha Tiger director has refused to comment on the same in public, and as per reports, he does not want it to be discussed in the media as he is afraid it would further delay his payment.
Earlier, FWICE president BN Tiwari had revealed that Pooja Entertainment owes over Rs 65 lakh to crew members on three films: Mission Raniganj, Ganapath, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
.jpg)
In June, it was also reported that Bhagnani had sold off the lavish seven-storeyed Pooja Entertainment office in Mumbai to clear his debt amounting to Rs 250 crore, and that the production house also laid of 80 per cent of its staff.
