For every Bollywood watcher the name Shetty has a villainous connotation that comes with images of brawny bald men. But Prafful Sarees’ Shivanarayan alias Pankaj Agarwal’s tortured image of a Shetty is lissome and svelte—and villainous.When Malaysia-based gangster Fazl-ur-Rehman (Fazlu) called Agarwal in Surat to extort money allegedly on behalf of movie star Shilpa Shetty’s parents Surendra and Sunanda, Agarwal called the police. The local court has since denied bail to Surendra and Agarwal is spending his days dodging the media and shunning cameras.But who is this Pankaj Agarwal? Is he a hero who didn’t simper and deliver when the bhai called? Or is he a chronic late pay master?The youngest of three brothers, Agarwal is a commerce graduate from Delhi University. His family comes from Bhiwani in Haryana and they ran a wholesale textile business in Delhi before moving to Surat. Though the company refuses to divulge figures, it is believed to have an annual turnover of over Rs 100 crore.Money is a delicate subject with the Agarwals these days. Says Agarwal: ‘‘When we hired Shilpa to model for our brand, she was no celebrity. All we wanted was a known face in our budget and we had that in Shilpa.’’ This known face has now ensured that Agarwal does not remain entirely unknown either.Agarwal paid Rs 22 lakh for the production of this ad to a Mumbai-based Ashu Trikha Advertising Agency. ‘‘We had no written contract and we paid the entire amount of Rs 4 lakh that Shilpa demanded through the advertising agency,’’ says Agarwal. Adds a company spokesperson: ‘‘There was a verbal contract of using the advertisement for one year. We used it longer but that doesn’t justify their Rs 2 crore demand.’’But Shipla has found some sympathy. Many in Agarwal’s trade feel his company often delays payments. Apparently a few vernacular newspapers are still waiting to be paid for carrying their advertisements.With the battle shifting to the court, Pankaj Agarwal is trying hard to slip back into anonymity. He keeps his travel down to the essential—between office and home. He refuses to be photographed, interviewed or even seen around in the city. But the spotlight that came with Shetty just won’t go away.
