Paltan cinematographer Nigam Bomzan sues director J P Dutta and daughter over non-payment of dues and missing credit in trailer
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 22, 2018)

With a fortnight before Arjun Rampal starrer Paltan hits screens, filmmaker J P Dutta finds himself in a legal soup. Nigam Bomzan, the director of photography on the project, has slapped a notice to the makers over non-payment of dues and missing credit in the trailer.

Bomzan tells mid-day that he filmed two schedules in Ladakh last year. "Being a fan of Dutta's work, we verbally agreed on the money but didn't sign a formal contract. I shot for 54 days, and the portions make up 80 per cent of the film. During that period, I received about 30 per cent of my remuneration."

However, he had to bow out before the final schedule commenced, owing to his sister's health issues. Shailesh Awasthi was roped in for the last leg. While Dutta and daughter Nidhi, he claims, supported his decision to exit the project, trouble began when he requested them to pay his fees. "Nidhi told me that they hadn't received the money from Zee Productions [co-producers]. But she assured me that they would clear the payment soon. After a point, she stopped replying to my messages. I have been trying to reach them since March, but there has been no response. I finally decided to take the legal route." Bomzan says his missing credit from the trailer made matters worse. "It's sad that I have to fight to get credit for my work."

When contacted, Nidhi said that they have yet to receive the notice. "It has been sent directly to Zee Productions. We made payments according to the days that he has shot. We will reply to the notice once we receive it." Talking about the credits, she added, "It's a technical error. Both the DOPs will be credited in the film's slate."

The spokesperson of Zee Studios said, "We have cleared all the payments as per the contract to J P Films."