Vashu Bhagnani’s Mumbai-based production company Pooja Entertainment has been battling allegations of financial fraud, first accusing director Ali Abbas Zafar of embezzlement of funds and now filing a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix and others.
However, Netflix denied these allegations through an official statement from a spokesperson.
Vashu Bhagnani has accused the streaming giant of not fulfilling its payment obligations following the completion and release of films produced by Pooja Entertainment. He claimed that he is yet to receive payment worth INR 473.7 million for the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) rights he granted to Netflix for three films — “Hero No 1,” “Mission Raniganj” and “Bade Miya Chote Miya.”
He also filed charges against Los Gatos Production Services India, which reports to Netflix its content investments in India, and Zoo Digital India, which provides subtitling, dubbing and media localization services, as well as 10 executives from both companies.
A Netflix spokesperson denied the allegations on behalf of Netflix in an official statement, saying, “These allegations are completely without merit. In fact, it is Pooja Entertainment that owes Netflix money. We have a strong track record of partnerships with India’s creative community and are working with the authorities to resolve this dispute.”
Previously, Vashu Bhagnani had accused Ali Abbas Zafar, director of the commercially and critically flop Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, of embezzling subsidies he received from Abu Dhabi authorities while shooting the film. Ali is yet to respond to the allegations.
However, in the past, there have been several allegations against Pooja Entertainment over payments made to BTL for “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan”, including to the stunt team, lighting team and people lower down in the film unit.
Published on September 25, 2024 12:39 PM IST
Join a community of over 2 million industry professionals
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest insights and analysis.
Download ETLegalWorld App
Get real-time updates Save your favorite articles Scan to download the app
Source link