People close to Vashu Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment stated the crew alternates between hoping for money and worrying about their next EMIs failing.
Despite the challenges of filmmaking, Pooja Entertainment employees say waiting for their unpaid wages is soul-crushing. They have sold their homes, waited for credit messages, and made frantic calls while recovering from hospitals, yet they have not been compensated for their efforts on Vashu Bhagnani’s biggest films. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, was the production house’s final.
Last week, crew members accused Bhagnani of unpaid dues. In a collaborative Instagram post, the crew members tagged Pooja Entertainment, producers Vashu Bhagnani and his children, Deepshikha Deshmukh, and actor Jackky Bhagnani, describing their “sheer frustration” at working without pay.
“We’ve tolerated @pooja_ent’s complete disregard and unethical behavior for too long. Being passed around to ask for our money, which was promised to be paid within 45-60 working days after completion, is unprofessional, but the team willingly accepted since we love filmmaking.
“But exploiting this passion should be unacceptable. There is no hope of getting paid but this post is to make countless others aware of this fraudulent practices by @pooja_ent @jackkybhagnani @vashubhagnani and vouch to not work with them,” wrote Ruchita Kamble, an assistant director on Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees and Zero.
Many people openly criticized the production house, including Vashu Bhagnani, who denied owing anyone money. In an interview with Times of India, the producer advised anyone who is owed dues to pursue a case or provide adequate documents. The seasoned producer stated that if someone still has a problem, they may meet him at his office and he will resolve it within 60 days.
Since the claims went public, Indianexpress.com spoke to multiple Pooja Entertainment employees across departments, who backed their claims, saying the crew is in “fear and gloom” as they alternate between hoping for payments and worrying about their next EMIs failing.
Multiple sources told Indianexpress.com that several unpaid crew members from the 2022 production of Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, and Rakul Preet Singh’s Mere Husband Ki Biwi are demanding their full payment.
The Mudassar Aziz-directed film’s focus puller, CH Ravi Kumar, told Indianexpress.com that the crew’s non-payment forced the filming to be suspended, but Pooja Films gave them a mail saying they will be paid next month. He said he submitted three bills for payment on 22/11/22, 15/12/22, and 15/11/23.
