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Vrajesh Hirjee claims he wasn’t paid half his fee for Vashu Bhagnani’s Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein: ‘That’s a sore point’

Vrajesh Hirjee claimed that he wasn't paid half his fee for Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein by producer Vashu Bhagnani.

Vrajesh Hirjee reveals he wasn't paid in full for RHTDM. (Photo: Vashu, Vrajesh/Instagram)

Vrajesh Hirjee claims he wasn't paid in full for RHTDM. (Photo: Vashu, Vrajesh/Instagram)

Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein wasn’t a big hit at the box office back when it released but in the years since, it has gained a massive following. Produced by Vashu Bhagnani and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, the film starred Dia Mirza, R Madhavan and also starred Vrajesh Hirjee in a significant role. In a recent interview, Vrajesh recalled that he was only paid half the amount he was promised for the film. He also compared Vashu to producer Rakesh Roshan who paid him more than the promised amount after Kaho Naa Pyar Hai became a massive hit.

In a conversation with Cyrus Broacha on his YouTube channel, Vrajesh said, “Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein didn’t become the cult that it is today. It was a hurried release clashing with Shah Rukh Khan’s Asoka. I thought it would propel me to something, but nothing happened. I had hopes.” After this, Cyrus immediately asked, “Did you get paid?” And to this, Vrajesh replied, “No. I didn’t get paid half my money on Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. That’s a sore point.”

Having said that, the actor added that he didn’t lose hope in humanity as he was paid extra for one of his films, after it earned well. “But, I got paid for Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. In fact, after the film was released and it became a hit, I was paid more money than I was supposed to get. So, there are some people who are honest and decent,” he said.

ALSO READ | Bade Miyan Chote Miyan row: Mumbai court directs police to file FIR against director Ali Abbas Zafar for conspiracy, cheating

Vashu Bhagnani has been embroiled in controversies and non-payment row since the release of his film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. He is currently dealing with a case involving the film’s director Ali Abbas Zafar. Made with a huge budget of over Rs 350 crore, the movie ended up making less than Rs 60 crore.

For the unknown, in February 2021, Vashu signed a four film deal with Akshay, including the action-comedy BMCM. In November, he approached Ali to direct and write the movie. However, the latter allegedly insisted on working with Mehra and Ekesh Randive as they managed his accounts and audit.

ALSO READ | Vashu Bhagnani responds to rumours of mass layoffs, selling office space after Bade Miyan Chote Miyan debacle: ‘Planning my next project on mega scale’

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Reportedly, they promised the producer that they would submit all expenses for approval in advance, but allegedly defrauded him by submitting forged documents showcasing higher expenses. The complaint said that the VFX budget for the film was decided at Rs 18 crore, but was increased to Rs 42 crore. Moreover, the production cost was decided to be Rs 125 crore, which shot up to Rs 154 crore.

Now, the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court has directed the local police to file an FIR against Ali Abbas Zafar, co-producer Himanshu Mehra, and others. They have been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating, criminal defamation, and criminal intimidation under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Vashu Bhagnani has several alleged non-payment claims against his production Pooja Entertainment.

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