In a significant legal victory, film producer Prerna Arora, known for movies such as Rustom (2016), Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Pad Man (2018), has been exonerated of all charges by the Bombay High Court. The charges had been filed against her in connection with a cheating case initiated by film financier Vashu Bhagnani in 2018. Bhagnani had alleged that Arora failed to return funds, reportedly over Rs. 30 crore, for the film Pad Man to him.

Arora tells us, “I am a female producer and an outsider with no background in this industry who achieved all that on my own... One day, I was at the top of my career, and another day, I lost everything. It was too dark outside. I was at my lowest. Everyone pounced on me without knowing the complete reality.”

She goes on, “Truth is not always welcomed here. It’s a men-dominated industry, and a female producer from outside, doing everything on her own, with dignity, wasn’t something that everyone could accept and celebrate.” Arora says there are several issues regarding finances in the industry, but hers, in particular, was “blown out of proportion”. 

The producer also doesn’t shy away from addressing the prevalent issues of nepotism, saying, “It (nepotism) is not always about launching star kids; it is also when someone is just supporting their own people. I got to know about several people who called others and told them not to work with me.”

In her darkest moments, Arora says she found support from actors Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt. “They trusted me and helped me. That’s why doing one song with them is bigger than giving them a hit like Rustom or Pad Man. Salman came in when I needed people to show belief in me and understand my pain.”