'Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan' producers deny duping Aarushi Nishank of ₹4cr
What's the story
The producers of the upcoming Bollywood film Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, Mansi Bagla and Varun Bagla, have denied allegations of financial fraud against them by actor Aarushi Nishank.
Nishank, the daughter of former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank recently accused the producers of duping her of ₹4cr under the pretext of giving her a role in their film.
Refuting the claims, the Baglas called all accusations "completely false, misleading, and entirely fabricated."
The movie stars Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor.
Legal proceedings
'This is a civil dispute...'
The Baglas have stressed that the matter is a civil dispute.
Their statement read, "This is a civil dispute, and we are taking the necessary legal recourse to address the matter."
"[She] approached us in Mumbai persistently following up for a meeting with us stating that she is the daughter of the ex-minister of Uttarakhand and wanted to tie up with us through her entity Himshri Films."
Investigation into the matter is underway.
Counter-claims
Producers narrated their side of the story
The statement added, "She expressed her desire to become a heroine and requested for a small role in exchange for [the investment]."
"To persuade us she told us about her strong ties with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami mentioning how she had invited him to the set of her series Life Hill Gayi and promised to do the same for our film."
"However once she came aboard she began threatening and demanding a larger role as a parallel lead."
Alleged threats
Producers accused Nishank of threatening for larger role
The Baglas also accused Nishank and her husband, Abhinav Pant, of threatening them for a larger role in the film.
They claimed that Pant invited them to his construction site near Dehradun Airport where he allegedly threatened them.
"Refusing to bow down, we removed her from the film, terminating her involvement," they stated.
"Despite this, she spread false PR news claiming to be a trio in the film with our lead cast. Aarushi is media-hungry person and has temperamental issues."
Investment dispute
Nishank's investment details and producers' alleged refusal to refund
Baglas had reportedly initially convinced Nishank to invest ₹5cr in their project, promising her a substantial role and a 20% share of the profits.
An MoU was reportedly signed on October 9, 2024, after which Nishank transferred ₹2cr to the producers. By November 19, she had allegedly paid another ₹2cr.
However, despite her investment and waiting days, the producers didn't finalize a script for her role and dropped her from the project without notice, alleged Nishank.