Mumbai: A Mumbai sessions court has rejected the anticipatory bail applications of three film production executives accused of allegedly misappropriating more than ₹3.92 crore allocated for the making of Naagzilla, the upcoming film starring Kartik Aaryan and backed by Dharma Productions.
Additional Sessions Judge M Mohiuddin, hearing the matter at the Dindoshi court, observed on Wednesday that there was prima facie material indicating the accused’s involvement in the alleged offence. The court also held that their custodial interrogation was necessary for a detailed investigation, according to a PTI report.
Who Are the Three Accused?
The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Singh Champawat, 47, a consultant and signing authority; Mahipal Karan Rathore, 42, a service provider and executive producer; and Shivkumar Tiwari, 45, a line producer.
The case originated from a complaint filed by Tukaram Mahadev Sawant, an accountant at Mahaveer Jain Films Pvt. Ltd. The company, led by Mahaveer Jain and his wife Neetu Jain, is involved in the production of Naagzilla alongside Dharma Productions.
On October 30 last year, Mahaveer Jain Films entered into an agreement with Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. to make the film with a total production budget of ₹82.50 crore.
According to the complaint, Champawat approached Mahaveer Jain to take charge of the film’s production and recommended his relative Rathore, who was subsequently appointed as a service provider. Tiwari was engaged as the line producer and tasked with bringing vendors on board for services related to vehicles, makeup and junior artistes.
What Are the Allegations?
The prosecution has alleged that the three accused worked together to bypass the production’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), resulting in unaccounted expenditure of ₹3,92,76,308. The complaint claims that the expenses were incurred without submitting the necessary bills and vouchers.
It further alleges that a vendor’s bill was inflated from ₹85,000 to ₹1.30 lakh. The accused are also alleged to have transferred ₹45,000 to a company named ANM Global, which, according to the complaint, did not provide any services for the film.
Another allegation concerns payments exceeding ₹1.50 lakh against bills that were allegedly fabricated in coordination with a production assistant.
The investigating officer also told the court that the accused allegedly collected commissions and mobile phones from vendors in exchange for awarding them work and approving their bills.
What Is ‘Naagzilla’ About?
Naagzilla is directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and written by Gautam Mehra. Kartik Aaryan plays an icchadhari naag, or a shape-shifting serpent, in the film.
The project is produced by Karan Johar, Mahaveer Jain, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and Neetu M Jain under the banners of Dharma Productions and Mahaveer Jain Films. Marijke deSouza and Divyansh Jain are attached as co-producers.
The film is scheduled to arrive in theatres in 2027.
