Mumbai: A Mumbai court has directed the police to register a case of cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery against film director Ali Abbas Zafar and two others on the complaint of veteran producer Vashu Bhagnani.
Magistrate Komalsingh Rajput directed the police to register a criminal case, saying the allegations against the three were serious.
Bhagnani filed a petition in the Bandra magistrate court against Zafar, who directed the 2024 film ‘Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan’, and two of his associates – Himanshu Mehra and Ekesh Randive – for allegedly cheating him and embezzling his money. Had demanded to register a case.
Magistrate Rajput, in an order passed on December 2, said the offenses are cognizable and non-bailable.
The court said, “The allegations are serious. All aspects lead to the conclusion that a thorough investigation seems necessary.”
It asked the Bandra police station to register a case under IPC sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 471 (cheating), 500 (defamation) and . Register 506 (criminal intimidation) against Zafar and two others and investigate the matter.
The court said that the trio lured Bhagnani into paying various amounts from time to time and incurred additional expenses in breach of the contract and did not give any account of these expenses.
The magistrate said the allegations made by Bhagnani are supported by documents including agreements, payment vouchers, cost sheets and WhatsApp chats.
“The total amount of fraud and fraud alleged in multiple transactions is very high. The number of transactions is also very high,” the court said.
According to the complaint, Bhagnani had signed four films with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar in February 2021, including the action-comedy ‘Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan’.
In November 2021, the producer approached Zafar to direct and write the film.
Zafar reportedly laid down a condition that he would work with Mehra and Ranadive as they were his associates who looked after his accounts, audits and also managed the film and assisted him.
The director and his associates reportedly assured Bhagnani that they would submit all the expenses for prior approval and the minimum production cost of the film was fixed at Rs 125 crore, which the veteran Bollywood producer agreed to pay.
Bhagnani claimed in his complaint that the trio cheated him by submitting fake and fabricated documents showing inflated expenses. The complaint further alleged that the trio withdrew most of the amount by manipulating the accounts.
The producer claimed that he had gone to Bandra police station with a complaint, but no action was taken, following which he moved the court.
Bhagnani, founder of production house Pooja Entertainment, is known for hit Hindi films like ‘Coolie No. 1’, ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya’, ‘Biwi No. 1’ and Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. , among others.
