Crew members accuse Jackky Bhagnani’s production house of unpaid salaries
A crew of movie producer Jackky Bhagnani‘s production banner, Pooja Entertainment, has disclosed that she and her team members had been waiting for the production house to clear their dues for over a year. She has posted a lengthy message on social media, highlighting the plight of the staff members who have been denied payment and noting the film’s beyond budget.
“I’m not one to make such posts, but certain people need to be exposed! Seeing my team and the crew I worked with struggle day after day simply to collect our own hard-earned money has inspired me to write this essay. Read the pure frustration of these young females, who have beautifully articulated @pooja_ent’s complete disrespect and the sheer unprofessional, unethical behavior that we have all been accepting for far too long,” Ruchita Kamble wrote on Instagram.
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‘No possibility of being paid’: Ruchita Kamble
She continued, “Being transferred from one person to another only to ask for our own money, which was promised to be cleared within 45-60 working days after completion, is unprofessional in and of itself. The team graciously accepted because we are a group of filmmakers that are passionate about our craft. However, manipulating this desire to such a degree should be considered unacceptable. There is no possibility of being paid, but this message is to make countless others aware of @pooja_ent @jackkybhagnani @vashubhagnani’s fraudulent activities and promise not to cooperate with them.”
Ruchita posted screenshots of her team members who also called out the production house for non-payment of dues, but did not name it.
Vaishnavi Paralikar, a production design worker, said on Instagram that she worked on a movie with over 100 other crew members two years ago, and they are all still waiting for their two-month pay. She further stated that, while the actors were immediately paid for the production, crew members were denied payment, with the reason that they had “exhausted” the funds as the film ran over budget.
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“Where is my hard-earned money? Most importantly, when can I get my hard-earned money?” wrote Vaishnavi on Instagram.
Neha Mishra, who previously co-produced the Disney+ Hotstar drama ‘Kaala’, responded to one of the stories regarding Pooja Entertainment. Her response said, “The fact is that after the picture has gone over budget, they want to recruit people to shoot promotions, teasers, and trailers while not paying them well. This has happened to my team as well, @gopikagulwadi @yazad5 @tusharkunder (sic).
