Kamal Ghorui
A day after several vendors linked to ‘Bhooth Bangla’ accused the makers of not clearing pending payments despite the film’s blockbuster run, Balaji Telefilms released an official statement firmly rejecting the allegations. The production house maintained that all financial commitments related to the film had already been honoured.Addressing the controversy, the company stated, “With reference to various recent media reports and social media posts regarding certain allegations about unpaid dues by Balaji Telefilms Limited for the film Bhooth Bangla, this is to clarify that the Company has fulfilled all its contractual payment obligations for the film and there are no unpaid contractual dues nor is anything further due and payable to any vendors engaged by the company for this film for any services rendered by them.”Reiterating its stance, the statement further read, “Balaji Telefilms Limited as a leading media organisation holds all its partners, vendors and creative teams in high respect and duly fulfills all its contractual obligations and maintains high standards of corporate governance.”The clarification followed a Mid-Day report in which several vendors reportedly claimed that substantial payments were still outstanding. As per the report, one vendor alleged that close to Rs 30 lakh remained unpaid, while another claimed dues of nearly Rs 18 lakh were yet to be settled.The report also pointed out that delayed payment cycles are becoming increasingly common in the film industry. It alleged that the earlier norm of clearing invoices within 90 days is no longer being consistently followed.Meanwhile, Bhooth Bangla continues to enjoy a strong theatrical run. Released on April 16, the film has reportedly crossed Rs 220 crore at the worldwide box office, making the allegations surrounding unpaid dues an even bigger talking point.Notably, this is not the first time a film headlined by Akshay Kumar has been caught in a controversy over pending payments. Earlier, members of the crew working on Bade Miyan Chote Miyan had reportedly raised similar complaints. At the time, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff were said to have personally intervened to ensure that the pending dues were cleared.
