The blind item below is by Rajeev Masand. Honestly, when we first read it we thought it was funny. It’s clear that men’s greed to make money can end up in a really funny situation sometimes. We are saying that the actor’s below is a funny situation because he thought he got the lottery of his dreams when this female producer signed him on and promise him the highest fee of his career. It’s not so funny for the other people that this female producer owes money too. Stars are fine, they can make money doing ads and performing on stage. What does an assistant, a lighting assistant or some other technical professional can do to get back their lost money?

The more details coming out on this female producer, the murkier it gets. There was already news report at the beginning of the year on how the schedule of one of her films had to be stopped because of unpaid dues. How in the world did she get herself in this situation? Clearly, she took on more than she should. More and more blind items now are coming out on her situation. It seems that Subhash K Jha is the only one standing by her. He shared this on his Twitter:

He even tweeted that this producer has a huge film being planned, which will be announced in June. What in the world? If that is really the case, perhaps she should clear the salaries that she owes her production team first before moving on. Also, Rajeev seems to be saying that this lady is in hiding. He mentioned how this hero had someone standing by at her place of residence to get hold of this lady. Perhaps, he should check SKJ’s house!

Check out the blind item from Rajeev Masand below. By the way, doesn’t this deal the lady made sound like an MLM marketing scheme? Those as-you-progress-you-get-to-make-more-money type of schemes!

Bollywood Blind Item

A Case of Missing Pay Cheques

A young male star is reportedly furious at having being “played”. The actor famously signed a three-film contract with a female producer. Insiders reveal that according to the contract he was to be paid Rs 9 crore for the first film, Rs 15 crore for the second, and a whopping Rs 25 crore for the third. The actor had recognised that this producer was new to Bollywood, flush with funds and keen to make a splashy announcement of her arrival.

But when she went belly-up recently, defaulting on payments and falling out with the industry, every project she was involved in had to be taken over by new producers.The actor soon realised that his dream of big pay cheques was going to remain a dream. What’s more, he had already wrapped up the first of his three films, and had only received a Rs 2 crore signing amount against the promised Rs 9 crore fee. Rumour has it that he has posted a spy below her apartment so she can be cornered the moment she’s spotted entering or leaving her home.

Poor fellow, but he’s not alone. Several actors are due crores in outstanding payments. But spare a thought for the dozen or so below-the-line professionals who’ve also been duped. According to estimates, the ‘scamstress’ producer owes smaller sums to everyone from publicists and poster designers to marketing agencies and sundry.

OSOP Guesses

Actor: Shahid Kapoor

Female Producer: Prernaa Arora