Director Ali Abbas Zafar and team booked for ₹154 crore fraud in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan production case | File Photo
Mumbai: The Bandra police have registered an FIR against director Ali Abbas Zafar, production head Himanshu Mehra, and accountant Ekesh Randive for alleged cheating and forgery. The FIR was filed on December 8 following a directive from the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, Bandra.
Producer Vashu Bhagnani, 63, alleged that Zafar and his team defrauded him during the production and distribution of the film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. In 2021, Bhagnani’s company, BMCM Films, signed Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff for the project, with a production budget set at Rs125 crore. Zafar was paid Rs3.50 crore in advance, and agreements were formalised in February 2022.
Bhagnani claimed Zafar and Mehra overspent on luxury accommodations, ignored pre-arranged setups, and escalated production costs to Rs154 crore. He also alleged misuse of BMCM funds for another project, Bloody Daddy, and personal expenses. Despite filing complaints earlier, Bhagnani states no action was taken, leading him to approach the court.
The FIR has been filed under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), 500 (defamation), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention).
