Pooja Entertainment’s Vashu Bhagnani had accused Bade Miyan Chote Miyan director Ali Abbas Zafar, co-producer Himanshu Mehra, and others involved of cheating and alleged financial fraud and misconduct during the production of the film. Now, an FIR has been filed against Zafar by Bhagnani under IPC Sections 120B, 406, 420, and more.
The FIR was filed on December 8 at in Bandra. This development is a victory for Vashu, who had filed a complaint before the Hon’ble Court of Bandra, which subsequently issued an order on 02.12.2024.
In response, the Bandra Police has registered an FIR against Ali, co-producer Himanshu Mehra, and finance head Ekesh Randive under various IPC sections, including 120B (Criminal Conspiracy), 406 (Criminal Breach of Trust), 420 (Cheating), 464 (Making False Document), 468 (Forgery for Cheating), 471 (Using Forged Document), 500 (Defamation), and 506 (Criminal Intimidation).
According to the FIR, the complainant has accused Ali of “conspiring to inflate production costs, forging invoices, misappropriating funds, and breaching contractual agreements.”
Further, it was stated that the production budget, initially set at Rs 125 crore, which excluded BMCM’s actor fees, was later increased to Rs 154 crore. The complaint also shared that despite this, “the accused allegedly overspent, engaged in fraudulent activities, and failed to provide accurate accounts of expenditures.”
The key allegations include, misappropriating substantial funds including Abu Dhani’s government rebate. Forging documents and invoices to increase the costs.
The production allegedly incurred unnecessary costs for equipment rentals, luxury accommodations, and external vendors. The allegation also includes breaching agreements by failing to obtain prior written approval for expenses.
