Vashu Bhagnani has been accused of non-payment of dues. The producer, under his production company Pooja Entertainment, allegedly did not clear the dues of the crew of his 2024 film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, which starred Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in the lead. Recently, Ramesh Taurani, the co-owner of Tips Industries supported Bhagnani amid the controversy.
Speaking to Indian Express, Ramesh stated that Vashu is not 'that kind of a producer.' He added, "Whatever happened will be cleared up and they will move forward. I don’t think he’s the kind of producer who would do something like this. He’s been around since 1995. I have never heard of him doing something like this with anyone’s money before. I think it’s a misunderstanding, and they’ll make sure it’s sorted out."
The controversy escalated after Bade Miyan Chote Miyan director Ali Abbas Zafar complained to FWICE about the non-payment of his dues against Vashu and his son Jackky Bhagnani. He also accused them of not paying his Rs 7.30 crore of BMCM.
Later, Vashu and Jackky filed a complaint against Ali of misappropriation of funds and criminal conspiracy. They stated that the initial budget for BMCM was estimated at Rs 125 crore, which later escalated to Rs 154 crore with Bhagnani’s approval.
The UAE leg, managed by Ali, was expected to cost Rs 23 crore but exceeded by Rs 6 crore and periodic updates or proper accounting were provided, thus "it is evident that there has been major siphoning of funds and mismanagement at the behest of the accused," reported Indian Express.
In addition to Ali, directors Tinu Desai and Vikas Bahl, directors of Mission Raniganj and Ganpath, respectively, also lodged complaints against Pooja Entertainment for unpaid dues.
