Actor Rakul Preet Singh walked away while talking to the media when she was asked about her father-in-law, producer Vashu Bhagnani. For the past few months, there have been allegations of non-payment of dues against Vashu Bhagnani. Now, in a video shared by News18, Rakul Preet was seen speaking about television and OTT platforms on the green carpet of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2024. (Also Read | Sonakshi Sinha, Tiger Shroff, Alaya F yet to receive payment for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan from Vashu Bhagnani: Report)
Rakul Preet walks away from IIFA green carpet
In the clip, Rakul Preet was asked about how the shooting of De De Pyaar De 2 is going on. She smiled and said, “Very good”. A reporter then asked her, “There are a lot of reports in the media about Vashu sir, and a lot of people have said that…” At this point, Rakul Preet stopped smiling and walked away, saying, “Sorry.” For the event, Rakul Preet wore a green bodycon dress.
About Vashu Bhagnani non-payment row
Vashu Bhagnani and his production house, Pooja Entertainment, continue to face allegations of unpaid dues to crew members on several of his films. A few months ago, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari said that Vashu Bhagnani owes over ₹65 lakh to crew members, who worked on three of his films–Mission Raniganj, Ganapath and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
A few days ago, BN Tiwari opened up about the complaints against Vashu Bhagnani. “We first received a complaint from Tinu Desai. He had a pending balance of about ₹33 lakhs for Mission Raniganj. Later, Vashu Bhagnani asked for some time, saying the payment would be made within a month. Part of the payment for our elite labour union was made after a month, but Tinu Desai’s payment is still pending,” he said as quoted by news agency ANI.
He also mentioned another complaint from director Ali Abbas Zafar, who has not been paid his fees for directing Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. “The payments keep getting delayed, and there hasn’t been a proper response. So, during this time, we were waiting, and then we received a complaint from Ali Zafar for ₹7.5 crores,” he added. The FWICE President also claimed that there are other pending payments, like director Vikas Bahl, who has not been paid ₹2.5 crores for Ganapath.
Vashu as producer
Vashu Bhagnani has produced films such as Coolie No 1, Hero No 1, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Biwi No 1, Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, Deewaanapan and Om Jai Jagadish. He also produced films such as Jeena Sirf Merre Liye, Sarbjit, Welcome To New York, and Bell Bottom.