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Vikram Bhatt has allegedly not paid outstanding dues to his crew members.
(Photo: Vikram Bhatt, Facebook)
On Friday, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, in a cheating case involving allegations of Rs 30 crore. At the same time, fresh complaints have surfaced from several crew members who claim they have not been paid for their work on the 2023 film 1920: Horrors of the Heart. The issue first came to light when the film’s casting director, Parag Chadha, alleged non-payment of dues. Since then, more members of the production team have come forward, describing similar experiences.
‘We were told there were no funds’: Makeup Artist
According to a report by Mid-Day, Sneh Sharma, who worked as actress Avika Gor’s make-up artist on the film, said she had to pursue the production team for months to recover her payment. She claims that Rs 1 lakh from her total fee remains unpaid. Recalling her experience, she said, “We kept following with the accountants, executive producers, Vikram Bhatt’s team, but none of them would give an answer. My hairstylist was on the verge of getting kicked out of her house. They paid us initially, but during the second schedule, we were told there were no funds. Yet, they went on to shoot another film!”
The report further states that Sharma’s fee was fixed at Rs 18,000 per day. However, by the end of the shoot, she had received only half her agreed payment. She eventually sought help from a cine workers’ association to recover a portion of her dues. She added, “I also contacted Krishna Bhatt (director and daughter of Vikram Bhatt). She dismissed it by saying she wasn’t part of the accounts team,” and claimed that she was later asked to work additional days without clarity on payment. She refused. “If you’re not paying, why would I come? So, they hired some other makeup artist for free.”
Vikram Bhatt faces allegations of not clearing dues of 1920 cast and crew
‘We are family’: Vikram Bhatt
An anonymous crew member told the publication that he was promised Rs 20 lakh for his work. He alleges that neither he nor his assistants have received any payment so far. Another crew member pointed to the absence of formal contracts as a key issue. He claimed that when he requested a working contract from Vikram Bhatt, he was told, “We are family.” He further shared that many people worked in good faith, but, were betrayed.
Parag Chadha, who first raised concerns publicly, alleged that similar issues occurred during another Vikram Bhatt project, Khilone. “I got the lead actor, Anupriya Goenka, on board. But by that time, the production house was non-responsive to me. So, I left the film in the middle. Jab 1920 ka paisa nahi mila, toh Khilone ka paisa kaise maangta? (If I didn’t receive the payment for 1920, how could I even ask for the payment for Khilone?) But I hear that none of the crew and cast from even Khilone has been paid,” he said.
Vikram Bhatt’s Khilone’s crew members unpaid
Further details about Khilone were reported by The Hollywood Reporter India. The project, initially described as a genre-defining action film, was reportedly stalled midway. Make-up artist Komal Halai Dhawan, who says she worked on the film in 2022, recalled being hired for what was presented as a feature film starring Anupriya Goenka. The project was backed by Vikram Bhatt’s Loneranger Productions. “We finished a couple of days of shooting, and then we were told on what they said was the last day that the project was being turned into a web series. They said there would be a break and we’d start again. They never told us the project was being shut down,” Dhawan said.
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She further alleged that since late 2022, she and her representatives have repeatedly followed up for her pending payment of Rs 21.75 lakh. “Till today, they still owe me money for that project. Many other crew members, including actors, haven’t been paid. A few people went to the office, created a scene, and were given a little money and told to go away. Nothing substantial happened,. It became mentally exhausting. It really put a lot of people off the industry. I felt like, what’s the point of working somewhere and then begging for your own money?” she said.
Dhawan also claimed that the crew had no indication the project would be halted midway. She said it appeared to be mounted on a significant scale, with Mahesh Bhatt occasionally present on set and directing actors. However, after the production stalled, she claims she visited the office 60 to 70 times seeking clearance of her dues, without success. “I had other ways of earning. But imagine assistants or daily wage crew who depend entirely on that income? It has been a nightmare. At the time, people told me to let it go because, ‘This is how the industry works.’ But this is not normal. You cannot have people work and not pay them.”
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