Actor Aditya Pancholi and Sam Fernandes, producer of the film Hawa Singh,havegot into a feud. Both have filed non-cognisable complaints against each other. Sam has alleged that Aditya has been pressurising him to retain his son, Sooraj Pancholi, in the film Hawa Singh.

The producer says, “I had announced the film with Sooraj in the lead role in 2019. He shot for around 12 days for the project. However, things went awry after the first lockdown, as the investors did not want to back a film with Sooraj in the lead. I spoke to Sooraj about it, who himself asked us to go ahead with another actor. However, his father, Aditya Pancholi, insisted that we retain Sooraj and that he would get an investor, but that didn’t happen. He did give some money for the film, but that wasn’t enough. This film is a biopic of an Indian heavyweight boxer, and we would need a budget of around Rs. 25 crore to make it.”

Things took an ugly turn between them on January 27. Sam says, “Aditya wanted to meet me, so he called me to a hotel. Since a few people were already present in his room, we decided to have a discussion in the corridor. After some time, he told me that I must take his son in the film, or he wouldn’t let me make it. He abused me and tried to punch me. When I turned to leave, he kicked me on my back. I went straight to the Juhu police station and filed an NC against him.”

Meanwhile, Aditya also filed a cross NC for verbal abuse and intimidation against Sam at Juhu Police Stationon January 28. The actor refutes Sam’s allegations and says he has borrowed a huge sum from him last year.

Aditya says, “In February 2020, Sam came to me, shared a sob story and asked for money. He told me, ‘Khatam ho jaaunga, ghar girvi rakh diya hai, vendors ka paisa dena hai’. Being an emotional person, I gave him money up to Rs. 90 lakh 50 thousand from my wife’s and children’s accounts. On January 27, he visited me at a hotel and, after a while, started misbehaving with me and talking rubbish about Sooraj and my family. He asked me for more money, and I refused. I asked him to return the money he had earlier borrowed, but he flatly refused. Next, I got to know that he filed an NC against me at the Juhu Police Station. I, too, filed an NC against him the following day. I have also filed an application for an FIR against him at the Versova police station.”

In the complaint filed with the police, the actor has attached the bank statement to show the transfer of money to Sam.

Sam accepts that Aditya gave him the amount (Rs 90 lakh 50 thousand). He says, “He didn’t lend me money for my personal use, but for the sake of his son. He knew about the risk involved. I would have liked to continue the film with Sooraj if the finances were sorted, but I couldn’t. In fact, I have told Sooraj that I will do my best to recover his investment from the investor who comes on board.”