Jackky Bhagnani’s production house faces accusations as crew members allege non-clearance of salaries over an extended period. Venting their frustrations, crew members have turned to social media platforms to voice their grievances against the establishment.
One such crew member, Ruchita Kamble from Pooja Entertainment, took to Instagram to express her discontent in a lengthy post. She urged others to reconsider working with the production house owned by Jackky and his father, Vashu Bhagnani. Ruchita’s post highlighted the struggles of the team in trying to obtain their rightfully earned wages.
She stated, “Not one to typically make such posts, but sometimes people need to be called out! Witnessing my team and fellow crew members endure daily struggles just to retrieve our hard-earned wages has driven me to make this post. The frustration is palpable, as expressed by these young girls, who have eloquently illustrated the complete disregard @pooja_ent has shown, along with the sheer unprofessional and unethical conduct we’ve endured for far too long.”
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Continuing, she lamented the ordeal of being shuffled from one contact to another just to inquire about their overdue payments, originally promised to be cleared within 45-60 working days post-project completion. This, she asserted, is unprofessional in itself.
While the crew initially agreed due to their passion for filmmaking, exploiting this passion to such an extent is intolerable. She expressed doubts about ever receiving payment but emphasized the importance of making others aware of these fraudulent practices and vowed against further collaboration with them.
Accompanying her message were screenshots of messages shared by other crew members. One notable message came from production designer Vaishnavi Paralikar, who revealed on her Instagram stories that nearly two years after working on a movie alongside almost 100 other crew members, they are all still awaiting two months’ salary.
While the actors were promptly compensated, crew members were left unpaid, with the explanation that the Jackky Bhagnani’s production house had “exhausted” funds due to the film going over budget. Demanding accountability, Vaishnavi queried, “Where is my hard-earned money? Most importantly, when can I expect to receive it?”
Established in 1986, Pooja Entertainment is recognized for its involvement in projects such as ‘Coolie no.1,’ ‘Biwi no.1,’ ‘Rangrezz,’ and ‘Jawaani Jaaneman.’ Their latest film, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,’ featuring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, failed at the box office. The outcry from those behind the scenes has prompted widespread concern among netizens regarding the practices of the production house.