Producer Vashu Bhagnani accuses Netflix of cheating him of Rs 47 crore; EOW starts probe

Bollywood producer Vashu Bhagnani has lodged a police complaint accusing Netflix India of cheating him to the tune of Rs 47.37 crore over film rights, a charge rejected by the leading OTT platform.

The Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has started an investigation into the complaint filed by Bhagnani, an official said on Wednesday.

According to the official, the producer has claimed Netflix cheated him over rights of his three recent Hindi films — ‘Hero No 1’, ‘Mission Raniganj’ and ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’.

Bhagnani did not receive payments of Rs 47.37 crore which were due for these films from the streaming platform, he said, quoting the complaint.

Bhagnani, who owns production and distribution firm Pooja Entertainment, filed the complaint against Los Gatos Production Services India, through which Netflix reports its content investments in India, Zoo Digital India, and several executives of both companies.

Meanwhile, Netflix rejected Bhagnani’s allegations and claimed it is Pooja Entertainment that owes them money.

“These claims are completely unfounded — indeed it’s Pooja Entertainment that owes Netflix money. We have a strong track record of partnership with the Indian creative community and are working with the authorities to resolve this dispute,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement.