Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 17 (ANI): An FIR has been lodged against filmmaker Vikram Bhatt in Udaipur over an alleged fraud related to a film project. The case has been registered at Bhupalpura police station and is currently under investigation.
The police have started an investigation into the fraud case. Udaipur District Superintendent of Police Yogesh Goyal said that Dr Ajay Murdia of Udaipur has filed a case in the Bhupalpura police station.
On FIR filed against film director Vikram Bhatt, SP Udaipur, Yogesh Goyal said, “An FIR has been filed in which the complainant has alleged that in the memory of his late wife, he had an agreement with Vikram Bhatt’s company for the production of some movies and documentaries. The complainant paid an amount to Vikram Bhatt’s company, and a contract was signed to produce four movies. The production house failed to produce the movies as per the contract, and the two movies that were made were not rightfully attributed. The production of the movie, which had the highest budget, was never started. Investigation is going on, and action will be taken appropriately.”
Responding to the allegations, Vikram Bhatt said that the police is being misled.
“I came to know today that there has been an FIR. I think it came on a TV channel in Rajasthan that there has been an FIR against me. And then a journalist friend of mine sent me an FIR. So I read the entire FIR. Now, to be honest, I feel that the Rajasthan Police is being misled. As far as my question is concerned, I don’t know. I have been told that there is NC first.
I have not received anything like that. So first, I thought it would be NC. But now I have come to know that it is an FIR,” Bhatt told ANI.
“So I have neither a letter, nor a notice, nor anything. And they say that out of greed for 200 crores, I made a scam of 30 crores. If they have told this to the police, then surely they must have some documents, some paperwork. Otherwise, the police don’t do such things. So, if that is the case, then it is forged. It cannot be.”
Bhatt questioned the claims, saying, “I read in the FIR, they have written that they are not from this industry, and they don’t know the work of the industry. So, I would like to ask: if this is the case, then why did they leave me and start so many films?”
“They are doing so many films. So I think that the budgets I had given them, I used to shoot my films on a green screen. They wanted me to do it in real. So the budget will go up. Hum log ‘Tumko Meri Kasam’ jo film thi uske premiere ke liye Udaipur gaye the aur ye Sunday ki hi baat aur Friday ko film release huyi thi.Then I came to know that their IPO is forthcoming, and under their IPO, you cannot release this film, as it is for personal promotion and against SEBI rules. So they pushed their IPO.”
The filmmaker also denied any wrongdoing, saying, “After that, we were making a film, ‘Viraat’. ‘Viraat’ was doing well. Now if I have made you a fool, then why are you making a third film with me? And this ‘Viraat’ film, they stopped it in the middle. And I doubt that they stopped it, because they applied for the IPO again. And I think they did not want to be associated with the film industry. But the thing is that they did not pay my workers. And all this I am telling you, I have it in emails, I have it in contracts.”
“I do not speak in front of anyone. I have been in the industry for so many years. I had a conflict of interest with people. I had many good and bad relationships. But this has never happened. I do not understand what this means,” he said.
“I will see what this is. First, we will ask them for proof that you have filed this FIR,” he said.
Vikram Bhatt entered the film industry as an assistant to director Mukul Anand on the latter’s debut film, ‘Kanoon Kya Karega’. He was 14 at the time. Bhatt later went on to direct several notable films, including ‘Ghulam’ starring Aamir Khan, which became a box-office success.
In 2008, Vikram Bhatt returned to the horror genre and went on to deliver successful films like 1920, Shaapit, and Haunted – 3D. (ANI)
