Nepotism, fake BO figures, unprofessional conduct: Alia's 'Jigra' controversy explained
The recently released film Jigra, starring Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina, is mired in controversies. The issues are overshadowing its release and have sparked heated online debates. The film has been accused of nepotism, inflated box office numbers, unprofessional conduct by the team members, and earned ire for canceling press screenings. This tumultuous journey from script to screen has affected Jigra's box office performance. Here, we break down each controversy.
'Jigra' director Vasan Bala unhappy with co-producer Karan Johar
The nepotism controversy was sparked by an interview with the film's director—Vasan Bala. Bala revealed his displeasure at co-producer Karan Johar for sending an unfinished draft of Jigra to Bhatt without proper revisions. "I had sent one very roughly drafted email to Karan and 6-7 hours later, he called saying that I already sent it to Alia and I was not happy with it...I asked Karan, 'Why did you do this?' He said, 'No, no this is how it works."
Johar's decision to cancel pre-release screenings added fuel
While both Bala and Johar rubbished rumors of Bhatt not being the first choice, adding to the controversy, Johar's Dharma Productions announced the cancelation of pre-release press screenings for Jigra. A source from Dharma Productions revealed that this decision was taken to combat corruption among certain film critics. The source noted that press screenings often lead to financial dealings aimed at manipulating reviews. This move by Johar has only further intensified the ongoing controversies surrounding Jigra.
Accusations of inflated box office numbers for 'Jigra'
Meanwhile, filmmaker and actor Divya Khossla Kumar accused Bhatt of inflating the box office numbers. She posted a picture of an empty theater with the caption, "Alia really has a lot of #Jigra...she bought the tickets herself and announced fake collections." This prompted a response from Johar: "Silence is the best speech you will ever give to fools." Khossla Kumar fired back, "Truth will always offend fools." Her post follows discussions about the similarities between her film Savi and Jigra.
'Jigra' team accused of unprofessional behavior
Adding to the controversies, Manipur-based actor Bijou Thaangjam publicly accused the makers of Jigra of "unprofessional behavior." He said he was disappointed to be considered for a role but then left in the dark. Thaangjam said, "The way they handled this entire situation was deeply unprofessional. My time was wasted...it felt particularly dismissive." "I'd lost out on other projects because I was sitting around, waiting for them to give me the go-ahead. But, of course, that never came," he added.
Read Thaangjam's full post here
'Jigra' faced poor box office performance amid controversies
Amid the controversies, Jigra has failed to set the box office on fire. The film only earned ₹1.5 crore (early estimates) on its fourth day, taking its total to ₹18.1 crore. With ₹4.55 crore on Day 1, this is the worst opening for a Bhatt film since 2014, prompting many to question its viability in theaters. In comparison, her previous solo hits Raazi and Gangubai Kathiawadi had much higher opening day collections, between ₹7.5 crore and ₹10.5 crore, respectively.
