Vashu and Jackky Bhagnani’s production house has been in the news for a couple of days now. The production house first came under attack by crew members for non-payment of salaries for a prolonged period. Following the allegations, rumors surfaced that the production house’s seven-storey office is being sold to pay off a 250-crore debt while 80 percent of the employees are being laid off. To clear the air, Vashu Bhagnani recently spoke on the matter in an interview with The Times of India.

The rumors stemmed from the failure of Pooja Entertainment’s last production venture, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff’s ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.’ The film was developed with a whopping budget of almost 350 crores but only managed to rack up 59.17 crores at the box office.

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Responding to the rumors in his interview, Vashu Bhagnani said that things aren’t as bleak as they are made out to be. He revealed that the office building still belongs to him and is being renovated into an apartment complex for “luxury homes.” Adding to his statement, Bhagnani told the publication that the plans were executed before the release of ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.’ Further, he denied laying off crew members, adding that he has been working with the same team for a decade. “We haven’t asked anyone to leave.”

Responding to the failure of their last project, the producer said that hits and flops are a part of the business and revealed that he is currently working on his next project. Bhagnani’s next is going to be an animated series, which is going to be pitched on a large scale.

When probed about the social media outrage by cast members over withheld salaries, the producer remarked, “I have been in the business for the past 30 years. If there are people who claim that we owe them money, they should come forward and talk to us. Do they have proper contracts with Pooja Entertainment? Have they filed a case regarding this? There are so many ways to sort this rather than ranting on social media. If there is an issue, we will resolve it. Nobody is running away. Please come to my office, talk to us, give us your documents, and give us 60 days to figure things out. I am not going to buckle under any pressure or blackmail. We also work with production companies in the UK. If they owe someone money, then people must reach out to them directly.”