Vashu Bhagnani’s office sold to pay employees’ dues? Producer reacts
Vashu Bhagnani comments on rumours surrounding Pooja Entertainment’s financial troubles, including the alleged sale of their Juhu office and non-payment of dues.
Producers Vashu Bhagnani and Jacky Bhagnani, who own Pooja Entertainment, have been in the news for the past few days. It was being said that Pooja Entertainment’s office in Juhu, Mumbai has been sold to pay off a debt of Rs 250 crore. The production house is also accused of not paying dues and firing 80 percent of its employees. Now, producer Vashu Bhagnani has clarified the rumours.
Vashu Bhagnani said, “The building (office space) that people are talking about has not been sold to anyone, it still belongs to me. We are just redeveloping it into a tower that will have luxury homes. It was planned 1.5 years ago. I was waiting for ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ to release after which we wanted to start the redevelopment.”
Denying reports of laying off his employees, Vashu Bhagnani said that they now work from the old office which is a ‘lucky’ place for them. He said, “The same team has been working with us for 10 years, we have not asked anyone to leave.”
It is being said that the failure of big films like ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, ‘Mission Raniganj’ and ‘Bellbottom’ pushed Pooja Entertainment into this debt. However, Bhagnani said that hit and flop films are a part of the business.
Vashu Bhagnani has also begun production on his next project, which is a large-scale animation series.
Speaking on the claims of non-payment, Bhagnani said, “I have been in this business for the last 30 years. If there are people who claim that we owe them money, they should come forward and talk to us. Do they have proper contracts with Pooja Entertainment? Have they filed any case regarding this? There are many ways to resolve this rather than venting anger on social media. If there is a problem, we will resolve it. No one is running away. Please come to my office, talk to us, give us your documents and give us 60 days to sort things out. I am not going to succumb to any pressure or blackmail. We also work with production companies in the UK. If they owe money to anyone, people should approach them directly.”
He concluded, “I love Bollywood and movies. Bollywood is my life, it is the most emotional industry and people stand by you through thick and thin.”
A crew member of Pooja Entertainment had earlier claimed that she and her team members have been waiting for their dues to be paid by the production house for the past one year. She wrote a long note on social media, sharing the plight of the crew members who have been denied payments citing the film’s overshooting budget.
Pooja Entertainment last produced ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, which did not do well at the box office. They have also produced films like ‘Mission Raniganj’, ‘Jawani Jaaneman’, ‘Bellbottom’.
