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‘Bade Miyan…’ crew backs Ali Abbas Zafar amid producers’ fund siphoning accusations

Film director Ali Abbas Zafar has entered a legal battle with producers Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani, with whom he collaborated on the Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. The Bhagnanis have filed a 17-page police complaint against Ali, claiming “criminal conspiracy” and “misappropriation of funds,” while the film’s crew has rallied in support of the director.
Khalid, an actor in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, expressed his frustrations on Instagram, stating he had to “beg” Pooja Entertainment to clear his dues. Although Jackky Bhagnani promised payment, he later blocked Khalid, who revealed it was Ali’s AAZ Films that ultimately settled his payments.
“In such a situation, it was only the team at AAZ Films who would always answer the calls and reassure me that I would be paid. The team at AAZ Films paid us and cleared our dues,” Khalid wrote.
Action director Parvez Shaikh also took to social media to defend Ali, asserting that the accusations against him and AAZ Films are “completely baseless.” He mentioned his long-standing relationship with Ali since 2014, noting he has never faced payment issues. “They are people of their word when it comes to business,” Parvez said regarding AAZ Films.
“Finally, after the subsidy money from Abu Dhabi for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was released, my dues were cleared. I’d like to thank the team from AAZ Films, especially Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra, who cleared all my payments and the wages for the hardworking stuntmen through the Movie Stunt Artist Association,” Parvez wrote on Instagram.
The action director further claimed that the expensive equipment taken to London for the film’s shoot is still with the studio Pooja Entertainment, with no updates on when it will be returned.
“We’ve worked on another project named ‘Eagle’ with Pooja Entertainment in India, and to date, we haven’t received payments for worker wages and equipment,” he added.
Film editor Steven Bernard also highlighted payment delays on Instagram, stating, “I had a very urgent and serious family emergency with my father’s hospitalization for over two months and needed funds. I followed up regularly, but there was no breakthrough. Throughout, AAZ Films were supportive and assured me that I would receive my remuneration. Finally, this week, after the subsidy from Abu Dhabi was released, thanks to the team from AAZ Films, I received the last installment in full.”
After Ali Abbas Zafar complained to FWICE about the non-payment of his dues, producers Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani released a copy of a police complaint they filed against him weeks ago for ‘siphoning of funds’ during the shoot of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
Earlier, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) released an official statement confirming that Ali, along with other directors who made films for Pooja Entertainment, had claimed non-payment of their dues. This includes Tinu Desai, who directed the Akshay Kumar-starrer Mission Raniganj, and Vikas Bahl, who helmed Ganpat, starring Tiger Shroff. None of these films performed well at the box office, leading to financial losses for the producers.
The federation mentioned Ali’s complaint and stated, “We have now received a complaint from Director Mr. Ali Abbas Zafar for not being paid his direction fees for the film ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,’ which was released on 11th April 2024. Not only this, we have received complaints from the largest association of daily wage-setting workers, FSSAMU, regarding the non-payment of dues for these poor daily wage workers (sic).”
Meanwhile, Bhagnani has also sued Netflix for “cheating and conspiring against the rights” of his three recent films—Hero No 1, Mission Raniganj, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. The producer lodged a complaint against Los Gatos Production Services India, which manages Netflix’s content investments in India, as well as Zoo Digital India and the executives of both companies.
Additionally, reports suggest that the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has summoned the production services company for further investigation.

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