A war of words has broken out between the co-producers of the film on the Pokhran tests after the actor-producer put out a public notice terminating the agreement over breach of contract
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2018)

On Sunday, John Abraham put out a public notice in a trade magazine terminating his agreement with Prernaa Arora and Arjun N Kapoor’s KriArj Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., his partners on his upcoming production Parmanu, accusing them of breach of contract over repeated delays in payment after the shooting was wrapped up on schedule last August.

When Mirror reached out to him on Monday, John pointed out that while he had not been perturbed initially when the cheques started coming sporadically, believing that there was an intent to pay and it was important to hold your co-producer’s hand through the process of filmmaking, he was forced to take this extreme step when payments started getting delayed from November 2017. Every time a notice was sent, he would recieve some money.

“They announced the release date thrice without our consent. We had to move each time because delay in payments led to delay in post-production but how do you explain that to someone who does not understand the process of filmmaking and asks what is pre and post-production? I have self-funded the entire post-production and with their money, when the cheques came in after several reminders, without compromising on quality. I am still in the process of paying off vendors and any parties who have an agreement with KriArj,” he informs.

He is however quick to point out that the real problem is that Prernaa and Arjun committed to a first copy deal and didn’t deliver. “They have defaulted on every payment, sometimes stopping payments when our boys were sent to the bank and giving wrong UTRs (Unique Transaction Reference),” the actor-producer grouses, pointing out that he had partnered with the duo on ethical grounds despite being approached by three studios because director Abhishek Sharma had approached both him and KriArj at the same time.

Prernaa counters this, saying that after Rustom’s release, when she was busy with Toilet - Ek Prem Katha, she met John whom she respected as a self-made actor-producer, and in December 2016, while in Jaipur for a vacation, had taken Abhishek who was her friend. “John really liked the story of Parmanu that Abhishek pitched and agreed to line-produce the film. Little did I know then that it was Shoojit Sircar’s company that had line-produced Vicky Donor and Madras Café. John had no experience in the field and had never done an acquisition before. He insisted on announcing the project in a hurry even after knowing that Ashutosh Gowariker, Shoojit and Excel Entertainment were planning films on the same subject,” she narrates.

John responds to this allegation saying that Shoojit was the first person he informed that he was making a film on Pokhran while Ashutosh had called to confirm the news and told him graciously that if John was making the film, he wouldn’t. “I appreciate that gesture,” John says, adding that he has line-produced many films and at least 15 ad films. “These people are traders who came into the business with a lot of money that has now whittled off because they may have over-committed or spread themselves too thin. Our film is ready for delivery but I am waiting for two payments that have not come through because I have lost all faith and trust in the other party. I don’t think they even know how to position or market the film as they don’t have the knowledge or the intent and so I want to keep control. Parmanu is my film and going by the reactions of target groups we showed it to, it’s turned out really well and I’m very confident of it,” he says, ready to release it himself if need be.

Prernaa will have none of that. She points out that John had given her a budget of Rs 35 crore which was way too high for it to be a commercially viable project. “Viacom18 and others had pegged it at Rs 28-30 crore given the subject and that it didn’t have any stars except John,” she says, pointing out that she had sold the satellite, digital, overseas and music rights to Zee Studios. “Of the Rs 35 crore, we have already paid him Rs 30 crore according to the shooting schedule and only Rs 5 crore remains, of which Rs 3 crore will be paid on delivery. We have been negotiating with him to forgo Rs 2 crore in deference to the excessively high budget and the production delay. Also, he has charged line-production fees and not even delivered on an item song as promised. He is miffed about that,” she retorts, adding “If he wants to terminate their agreement and release the film himself, he will have to pay back the Rs 30 crore first.”

John reacts to this saying the only figure she has got right is the Rs 35-crore budget. “I have been paid Rs 29.35 crore so far. I was asked if they could settle Rs 3.50 crore on delivery so I obliged. For the balance I have been haggling for the last two-three months with no assurance that I will get my money. I have not seen any third party agreement but she has been claiming that Zee Studio paid her Rs 27 crore for the satellite, digital and music rights and another partner, Kaita, another Rs 5.50 crore. I have also learnt that she has taken money from Vashu Bhagnani for Parmanu. If she has received Rs 32.50 crore for the film already, why is she not giving me my money?” John questions.

On the subject of the item song, the actor-producer says it was part of a print and publicity deal and never a part of film. “They insisted on it and I told them they could shoot it on the print and publicity budget. When they said they couldn’t bear the expenses, I told them to scrap it,” John clarifies, going on to add that the issue is not about money but delayed payment and the way they have gone about their business. “A film is a perishable commodity and it is important to get your payments on time. Now I don’t want to jeopardise it in the hands of irresponsible partners,” he says.

Prod him on a release date and he says he would have liked the film to open on May 11, the 20th anniversary of the nuclear tests in Pokhran, but since Karan Johar’s Raazi releases on the same Friday he has now settled for May 4. “Karan is a friend and I believe in honouring relationships and commitments. Many people from the industry have congratulated me for belling the cat and while they may not support me openly because they don’t want to jeopardise their money and films, I know they are with me. For me nothing is more important than my honesty and credibility and that of my production house. I have never faced such a situation before as a producer or an actor but I can fight my own battles. I can go broke but I won’t cheat anyone. They are desperate to settle the matter out of court but I want the law to take its course,” he says.