Sat Dec 07 01:38:19 UTC 2024: ## Mumbai Court Orders Criminal Case Against Film Director Ali Abbas Zafar
**Mumbai, India –** A Mumbai magistrate court has ordered police to file a criminal case against film director Ali Abbas Zafar, and two associates, Himanshu Mehra and Ekesh Randive, for alleged cheating and fraud. The order comes following a complaint filed by veteran Bollywood producer Vashu Bhagnani, founder of Pooja Entertainment.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Komalsing Rajput, deemed the allegations serious enough to warrant a criminal investigation. Bhagnani accuses Zafar and his associates of defrauding him of a significant sum of money during the production of the 2024 film “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” which Zafar directed.
The complaint alleges that Zafar, Mehra, and Randive manipulated accounts and submitted forged documents to inflate expenses, exceeding the agreed-upon budget of ₹125 crore (approximately $15 million USD). Bhagnani claims the trio failed to provide a proper account of these expenses, despite assurances they would submit all costs for prior approval. The court noted that Bhagnani’s complaint is supported by various documents, including contracts, payment vouchers, cost sheets, and WhatsApp chats.
The charges against the three include criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, fraud, defamation, and criminal intimidation, all under sections of the Indian Penal Code. The court highlighted the large number of transactions and the significant amount of alleged fraud as reasons for ordering the case.
Bhagnani initially filed a complaint with the Bandra police station, but after no action was taken, he approached the court. The magistrate’s order mandates that the Bandra police register a case and conduct a thorough investigation. The offences are considered cognizable and non-bailable. Zafar’s involvement stemmed from his agreement to direct “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan” in November 2021, after Bhagnani signed a four-film deal with Akshay Kumar in February of the same year.
First Piper 