Things have gotten ugly between producer Vashu Bhagnani and director Ali Abbas Zafar. Bhagnani’s now come out swinging with fresh claims, basically accusing Zafar of running a shadow company and allegedly laundering money during the production of ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ that is the one starring Akshay Kumar.
Bhagnani, who put up the cash for the movie, says there was supposed to be a clear split in responsibilities; he’d supply the funds, Zafar and his team would handle production and direction.
But according to Bhagnani, Zafar’s grip over both sides led to some serious chaos in the accounts.
Vashu Bhagnani Alleges Money Laundering by Ali Abbas Zafar
He’s pointing fingers at a company called Jolly Jumper Films LLC, supposedly registered in Abu Dhabi but actually operating from Mumbai, which he believes was used to funnel large amounts of cash.
In a recent ANI interview, Bhagnani spells it out: Zafar and Himanshu Mehra work under the AAZ Films banner. They were meant to stick to their lane, while Bhagnani kept out of the creative and logistical decisions. He even signed off on Zafar’s suggested shooting spots London, India, the works.
But here’s the kicker: Bhagnani says he only found out about Jolly Jumper Films LLC a couple of months ago. He’d assumed it was just another part of their operation. Turns out, he claims, it’s registered to Zafar’s assistant and being run on the sly.
#WATCH | On his allegations against filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, Film producer Vashu Bhagnani says, “Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra both run a company called AAZ Films. We made the film together. I had to invest in it, and they had to do the production and direction. He shot in… pic.twitter.com/1w66OMiPlJ
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2025
The accusations just keep piling up. Bhagnani alleges Zafar and his crew padded the film’s budget by a whopping 80 crores. Even after slashing actor fees from 10 crores down to around 7–8 crores, the numbers didn’t add up.
And after almost a year of nagging their accountants for the final statements? Still nothing. Instead, he claims, Zafar’s team’s been telling people in the industry that they were only directors, not producers, trying to dodge accountability.
Bhagnani’s convinced the company’s being used for shady financial dealings on a massive scale.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Budget Scandal
He’s not just venting, either. Bhagnani says he’s filed a formal complaint and an FIR at Bandra Police Station, and he’s ready to take things to the ED, EOW, and even the CBI.
At this point, it’s not just about getting his money back. He wants the truth out, so no other producer ends up in the same mess.
As per the complaint, Bhagnani says Zafar and the company jacked up production costs, faked invoices, misused funds, and broke their contract.
The budget for ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ was supposed to be 125 crores (actor fees not included), but it ballooned to 154 crores. Bhagnani says the accused overspent, committed fraud, and never provided proper spending records.
