Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has filed a lawsuit against K Sera Sera Productions chairman, Satish Panchariya, former employee Amar Thakkar, and two others for alleged defrauding, forgery and slander.

The complaint was filed by him through his legal counsel, advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, who confirmed the news, adding that the complaint has been filed at Amboli Police Station, Mumbai. The four employees of the production house have been accused of “plotting and conspiring with each other and committing cognizable and non-bailable offences of cheating, criminal misappropriation of funds, criminal breach of trust, forgery and defamation”.

This was after a cheating case was registered last month against the filmmaker and his daughter Krishna Bhatt at the behest of K Sera Sera Productions. The production house alleged that the director duo promised them a cut of Rs. 1.40 crore for a joint production which was not given to their company.

Reportedly, Bhatt will also file “various other civil and criminal proceedings including a private criminal defamation case before the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate.”

Bhatt remained unavailable for a comment until the time of going to press.

(L-R) Karishma Rattanshi, Satish Panchariya, Mahesh Bhatt, Vikram Bhatt and Amar Thakkar

Pushing the boundaries of cinema and filmmaking, K Sera Sera and Vikram Bhatt’s Studio Virtual Worlds — one of India’s first and largest LED virtual production studio — have begun work on their content production. They are aiming to complete work on five films by the end of this year. Judaa Hoke Bhi, starring actor Akshay Oberoi, is slated to release on July 15 with Vikram Bhatt at the helm. It is touted to be India’s first film that is completely shot in a virtual production studio.

Apart from this, they have announced tentative dates for Khilaune on September 16, 1920: Horror Of The Hearts on October 14 and Hacked And Impossible in December. “Studio Virtual Worlds will also release 25 films next year, collaborate and finance mainstream Hindi and regional films, various OTT projects, music videos and television shows,” says K Sera Sera group’s chairman Satish Panchariya.

Vikram Bhatt adds, “Virtual production is the future. This is where we get a new reality. K Sera Sera and I, with my mentor Mahesh Bhatt, have partnered to make it possible not just for us, but also for the entire industry to make use of what we have learned. We are going to change how films are made forever.”

Mahesh Bhatt says, “You cannot entertain 21st century audiences with the technology and stories of the 20th century. K Sera Sera and Vikram have joined hands to bring their wisdom to the world. So, as they say, you always remember the first — first man on the moon was Neil Armstrong, first man on Mount Everest was Tenzing Norgay, the first ones to put their foot in the virtual world and create the magic of LED are Vikram Bhatt and K Sera Sera. This is the future. We are talking to the future.”