Ever since Alia Bhatt's Jigra released in theatres, it has been in news for the wrong reasons. The film got embroiled in a controversy after actress Divya Khossla accused the makers of Jigra of manipulating the film's box office numbers. She had also accused them of copying her film Savi. Director Vasan Bala has now reacted to Divya's allegations and said that one must make judgements after watching both the films.
During an interview with Times Now, he said, "Both films are out, it’s in the public domain, please watch and make up your own minds, also free speech, so everyone is entitled and has the right to say what they want even without watching both films. Can’t stop any of that."
Taking the blame for the box office failure of Jigra, the director added, "The box office let us down. As a director, if 100 per cent faith is put on me in every department of the creatives then box office also needs to be taken care of by me. In that department, it’s clearly a letdown on my front."
In an earlier interview, Bala addressed Divya's claim of Jigra being a copy of Savi, and said that Savi came out when they were editing Jigra.
Besides being accused of plagiarism, the casting team of Jigra was also slammed by Manipuri actor Bijou Thaangjam for 'unprofessional behaviour' and 'discrimination' towards actors from Northeast India.
Along with directing Jigra, Bala also co-wrote it with Debashish Irengbam. The film is produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt and Soumen Mishra under Dharma Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions. The film was released in theatres on October 11.
Jigra vs Savi
Savi, also starring Harshvardhan Rane and Anil Kapoor, is about a housewife, played by Divya, who is is willing to go to great lengths to free her husband from prison in England. In Jigra, Alia's character plays the role of Satya, who is on a mission to save her younger brother Ankur (Vedang), who is imprisoned in a foreign jail.
Meanwhile, the total collection of Jigra stands at Rs 27.80 crore. On the other hand, Savi earned Rs 13 crore at the box office in its entire lifetime.
