21 august 2024 : Ajay Devgn’s sports drama, Maidaan, experienced a disappointing performance at the box office upon its release in April. However, this was not the sole unfortunate news for producer Boney Kapoor this year. Prior to the film’s debut, he found himself embroiled in legal troubles when a vendor, who provided equipment for Maidaan, filed a lawsuit against him for outstanding payments. The vendor claimed that Boney had delayed a payment of ₹1 crore for a duration of two years. Ultimately, the court mandated that the producer pay the vendor ₹96 lakh. Recently, Boney has once again attracted attention for similar issues, as actor Arshad Warsi has publicly criticized his production company.
In a candid discussion on a YouTube channel, Arshad alleged that he was underpaid by Boney’s production house. He recounted his experience as a choreographer for the 1993 film Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, starring Sridevi and Anil Kapoor. Arshad informed the producers that the choreography for the song would require four days to complete, and his standard fee at that time was ₹1 lakh. The producers requested that he complete the work in three days. Although it was a challenging request, he diligently finished the shoot within the stipulated time, ultimately saving them money. However, upon attempting to collect his payment, he found that he had only received ₹75,000.
When Arshad inquired about the discrepancy in his payment, he was informed by a representative from the production company that the ₹1 lakh fee was based on a four-day schedule. The representative further explained that since Arshad completed the work a day early, he was compensated ₹25,000 less. Arshad also reflected on the industry’s evolution, noting the current presence of managers and lawyers. It is hoped that formalizing agreements and contracts will prevent others from experiencing similar situations as Arshad did.
