On the sets of film Bol Bachchan
Financier Raju Shah and the film's producers lock horns over dues worth Rs 36 crore and dishonoured cheques worth Rs 8 crore
Close on the heels of Nagpur-based builder Appu Wadhwani filing a case against the makers of Bol Bachchan, the Ajay Devgn-Abhishek Bachchan starrer is headed for even more trouble.
Film financier Raju Shah is moving court today against Ashtavinayak, alleging they owe him monies to the tune of Rs 36 crore. And that's not all. Apparently, Ashtavinayak gave Shah post-dated cheques amounting to Rs 36 crore, of which cheques worth Rs 8 crore have bounced.
Shah, who has worked with Ashtavinayak on Blue, Khatta Meetha and Rockstar, told us, "Ashtavinayak owes me Rs 36 crore and gave me post-dated cheques to that effect. I was supposed to deposit Rs 17 crore till June 30. Accordingly, I deposited Rs 8 crore but was told by the bank on Friday that the cheques have been dishonoured."
Shah had a fallout with Ashtavinayak during Rockstar, but never made it public, till now. "We went ahead with Bol Bachchan simply because we thought things would improve. Of the Rs 41 crore they owe us, they returned Rs 5 crore during Rockstar but we are going mad trying to recover the remaining Rs 36 crore," said Shah.
A friend of Shah revealed they were also supposed to produce Bhagam Bhaag, Abhishek-Aishwarya starrer Ladies and Gentleman and Kunal Kohli's Saif Ali Khan-starrer with Ashtavinayak but none of the films went on floors. And while Saif Ali Khan returned the signing amount, they never got back their money. The latest being the shock at discovering Rs 8 crore had bounced.
When we tried contacting Raj and Dhillin Mehta (who is the signatory) of Ashtavinayak, they remained unavailable for comment. However, their official spokesperson said, "We have stopped the cheques which Raju Shah has deposited as there is no money payable to him. In fact, we have a huge claim against Raju Shah and we are contemplating legal action against him."
Interestingly, Ashtavinayak, had promised Shah in a letter dated June 4, 2012 (we have a copy) that they will not release Bol Bachchan till they clear their dues. "Is this how promises are kept? When we deposited the Rs 8 crore in cheques, they bounced (we have a copy of the bounced cheques)," said Yash, Raju's son. Buzz is, not only Shah but even Eros International has filed a legal suit against Ashtavinayak for dues amounting to Rs 8 crore.
Ashtavinayak's spokesperson rubbishes these claims: "Despite making payments, they have filed false claims against us."
Close on the heels of Nagpur-based builder Appu Wadhwani filing a case against the makers of Bol Bachchan, the Ajay Devgn-Abhishek Bachchan starrer is headed for even more trouble.
Film financier Raju Shah is moving court today against Ashtavinayak, alleging they owe him monies to the tune of Rs 36 crore. And that's not all. Apparently, Ashtavinayak gave Shah post-dated cheques amounting to Rs 36 crore, of which cheques worth Rs 8 crore have bounced.
Shah, who has worked with Ashtavinayak on Blue, Khatta Meetha and Rockstar, told us, "Ashtavinayak owes me Rs 36 crore and gave me post-dated cheques to that effect. I was supposed to deposit Rs 17 crore till June 30. Accordingly, I deposited Rs 8 crore but was told by the bank on Friday that the cheques have been dishonoured."
Shah had a fallout with Ashtavinayak during Rockstar, but never made it public, till now. "We went ahead with Bol Bachchan simply because we thought things would improve. Of the Rs 41 crore they owe us, they returned Rs 5 crore during Rockstar but we are going mad trying to recover the remaining Rs 36 crore," said Shah.
A friend of Shah revealed they were also supposed to produce Bhagam Bhaag, Abhishek-Aishwarya starrer Ladies and Gentleman and Kunal Kohli's Saif Ali Khan-starrer with Ashtavinayak but none of the films went on floors. And while Saif Ali Khan returned the signing amount, they never got back their money. The latest being the shock at discovering Rs 8 crore had bounced.
When we tried contacting Raj and Dhillin Mehta (who is the signatory) of Ashtavinayak, they remained unavailable for comment. However, their official spokesperson said, "We have stopped the cheques which Raju Shah has deposited as there is no money payable to him. In fact, we have a huge claim against Raju Shah and we are contemplating legal action against him."
Interestingly, Ashtavinayak, had promised Shah in a letter dated June 4, 2012 (we have a copy) that they will not release Bol Bachchan till they clear their dues. "Is this how promises are kept? When we deposited the Rs 8 crore in cheques, they bounced (we have a copy of the bounced cheques)," said Yash, Raju's son. Buzz is, not only Shah but even Eros International has filed a legal suit against Ashtavinayak for dues amounting to Rs 8 crore.
Ashtavinayak's spokesperson rubbishes these claims: "Despite making payments, they have filed false claims against us."
