Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt is facing a police investigation after an FIR was lodged against him in Udaipur for alleged fraud related to a film project, which Bhatt has strongly denied.
The filmmaker, meanwhile, says the claims are baseless and insists he has done nothing wrong, reiterating that “Rajasthan police are being misled,” news agency ANI reported on Monday.
What do we know about the case?
A case has been registered at Bhupalpura police station and is currently under investigation. Here are the details:
— the complainant: The FIR was filed by Dr. Ajay Murdia from Udaipur.
— Accusations: The complainant alleges that he had an agreement with Vikrama Bhatt’s company to produce certain films and documentaries which were to be a tribute to his late wife; however, the agreement was not properly fulfilled from Bhatt’s end.
— Contract Details: The agreement involved the complainant paying Vikram Bhatt’s company an amount with a contract to produce four films.
— Alleged breach of contract: The complainant, Dr. Murdia, accused the production house of not producing the films as per the contract and the two films that were made were not duly credited. The production of the film with the highest budget is said to have never started.
Talking about the case, SP Udaipur, Yogesh Goyal, noted that the investigation is currently underway and “appropriate action will be taken”.
Vikram Bhatt’s denials and counterclaims
Responding to the allegation, Vikram Bhatt said he believes the police are being misled. “Today I came to know that there is an FIR. I believe it was announced on a Rajasthan TV channel that an FIR was filed against me. And then my journalist friend sent me the FIR. So I read the entire FIR. Now, to be honest, I feel that the Rajasthan Police is being misled,” Bhatt told ANI.
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He further questioned the authenticity of the documents submitted by the complainant to the Jaipur police. “They say that I turned 200 million greed into a 30 million fraud. If they reported it to the police, they must have some documents or papers. Otherwise, the police do not engage in such activities. So if that is the case, then it is fake. It cannot be,” he said.
The filmmaker also denied any wrongdoing, saying, “I’ve been in this industry for so many years. I’ve had conflicts of interest with people. I’ve had many good and bad relationships. But this never happened. I don’t understand what that means.”
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Bhatt also said that he will first seek proof from the complainant regarding the FIR filed and then proceed, ANI reported.
Vikram Bhatt was just 14 when he entered the film industry as an assistant director to Mukul Anand on his debut film ‘Kanoon Kya Karega.’ Bhatt later directed several box office hits, including “Ghulam” starring Aamir Khan.
However, in 2008, Vikram Bhatt returned to the horror genre and went on to deliver successful films like 1920, Shaapit and Haunted – 3D, which are currently available on online streaming platforms.
