Prerana Toshniwal, Pune
In a recent conversation with The Economic Times(ET), Producer and Head of Pooja Entertainment, Vashu Bhagnani accused Netflix India of cheating him out of Rs. 47.37 crore. He claimed that the OTT platform, Netflix, owed him the amount and did not pay him back. According to the report released by ET, he has alleged that the OTT platform has ‘cheated’ and ‘conspired against’ the rights’ of his three most recent films- Hero No.1, Mission Ranigunj, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
The complaint centers around the SVOD rights of the film. SVOD stands for Subscription Video on Demand. It is a business model that asks consumers to pay a recurring fee to streaming platforms to access their libraries.
He has further alleged pressurization to renegotiate the terms of their deal and forced to deliver one of the films to Zoo Digital India. He accused them of leaking the film before its theatrical release hence causing significant financial and reputational damage to Bhagnani.
He has registered a complaint against Zoo Digital India and Los Gatos Production Services India and against executives of both companies. Netflix reports its content investments in India through Los Gatos Production Services. The Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai is investigating this complaint and have summoned the production services firm.
Consequently, Netflix also released a statement to the press denying the allegations and instead claiming that Pooja Entertainment owes them money. In the statement, they called the statements completely unfounded. Further, they backed their statement by mentioning their strong track record of partnership with the Indian creative community. They are working with the authorities to resolve the dispute. Notably, they also quoted a source claiming that they have registered a civil dispute against the production house for non-payment.
This is not the only controversy Vashu Bhagnani has stirred in recent times. He was recently in a feud with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan director, Ali Abbas Zafar, after the film’s failure. The crew had accused him of non-payment. The director also accused Vashu owes him Rs. 7.30 Crores. Reportedly, Vashu and his son Jackky filed a complaint against Ali for allegedly siphoning subsidy funds amounting to Rs. 9.50 crore that he had taken from the authorities in Abu Dhabi during filming. They also filed for extortion, defamation, and coercion.