Veteran filmmaker Vashu Bhagnani owes over Rs 65 lakh to crew members who worked on three of his films, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari said on Friday. Mission Raniganj, Ganapath And Big brother, small brother,
Bhagnani’s company Pooja Entertainment owes Rs 33.13 lakh to director Tinu Desai, who directed his 2023 film. Mission RaniganjTiwari told that Akshay Kumar was in the lead role in this film.
The production house owes Rs 31.78 lakh to over 250 set workers who worked in films like Mission Raniganjtiger shroff Ganapath (2023), and stars Akshay Kumar and Shroff Big brother, small brother (2024), Tiwari said.
Bhagnani was not available for comment. In a complaint filed with the Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) on March 19, 2023, Desai said he Mission Raniganj From February 2022 till 6th October 2023 (the release date of the film) and the amount to be received as per the contract was Rs 4,03,50,000 and he has received only Rs 3,70,36,092 till date.
“A written complaint was lodged by the Director Mission Raniganj “We have been in touch with Pooja Entertainment regarding the non-payment of Rs 33.13 lakh due to Vashu Bhagnani since March last year but he has not paid up yet. He has said he will pay the dues by the end of July,” Tiwari told PTI.
Desai declined to comment when contacted by PTI. According to the FWICE president, IFTDA has written several letters to Pooja Entertainment, but they kept delaying the payment.
“In February they sought time to make the payment citing Jackky Bhagnani’s wedding through an email to IFTDA dated February 20, 2024 and subsequently did not respond. After FWICE wrote a letter to them in March 2024, they again sought time to make the payment and said they would do so after the release of their film, Big brother, small brother“But still it did not happen,” Tiwari said.
He said, “What they are doing is unfair. They are living a luxurious life and when it comes to paying the dues they make excuses. In their latest email, they have said that they will pay the dues by the end of July, but if they don’t do so then our staff will not work on any of their films.”
Union leader Rakesh Maurya claimed that around 200 to 250 workers associated with the Film Studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union have not yet received payment of Rs 31,78,327 from Pooja Entertainment.
“There are three to four categories of workers who make sets and they are usually paid between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,400 per day. The outstanding dues of an employee could run to Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 or more,” Maurya of the Film Studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union told PTI.
They have around 48,000 daily wage workers in different departments like set department, lightmen and spot boys. FWICE general secretary Ashok Dubey told PTI that it has been a long time since the film released. Mission Raniganj, Ganapati And Big brother, small brother But the workers’ payments are still pending.
Dubey says, “The workers are helpless. Artists get paid upfront, but not our workers. It is heartbreaking to see the condition of workers in the industry; they have no guarantee of a job here. Even when they go to work on a project, they don’t get paid on time. They have to wait for months to get their hard-earned money.”
Last week, several crew members had accused Pooja Entertainment of not paying their dues and sacking most of its employees. In a statement to the media, Bhagnani had said that those who are accusing Pooja Entertainment of not paying their dues yet should talk to the banner.
He had rubbished reports of his production banner shutting down, saying, “If there are people who claim we owe them money, they should come forward and talk to us. Do they have a proper contract with Pooja Entertainment? Have they filed any case in this regard? There are many ways to sort this out instead of murmuring on social media.”
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Dubey said that the workers should get their payments as soon as possible. He said, “There is a rule in Marathi films that if the workers do not get their daily wages from the producers then the censor certificate will not be given to the producers, we also want the same rule.”
Pooja Entertainment has produced many hit films Coolie No. 1, Hero No. 1Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda’s Big brother, small brother, I have something to say, To Reside in Your Heart, Om Jai JagdishAnd Wedding No. 1He has done many movies in the past too, but some of his last films have not been successful at the box office.
