In the days leading up to the release of Jigra, Alia Bhatt finds herself amidst controversy as Divya Khosla’s PR team has accused the film of being a copy of Sani, a movie produced by Alia’s uncle Mukesh Bhatt. According to allegations from Divya’s camp, Mukesh Bhatt had initially acquired the rights to the 2010 film The Next Three Days for Rs 4 crore, with plans to cast Divya in the lead role. This purchase reportedly took place when Mukesh Bhatt and Alia’s father, Mahesh Bhatt, were joint partners at Vishesh Films—a partnership that dissolved in 2021 due to personal and creative differences.
The post by Divya’s PR team claims that Alia Bhatt later took the story concept to another production house, making alterations by changing the core relationship from a husband-wife dynamic to a sibling storyline. As of now, neither Mukesh Bhatt nor Jigra’s director Vasan Bala has responded to these accusations. This silence has left fans and media speculating about the true nature of the film’s origins.
Adding to the intrigue, Dharma Productions, which is behind Jigra, recently announced a shift in their release strategy. They stated that Jigra would not have any pre-release screenings, marking the beginning of a new approach where viewers, including critics, will experience the film as intended on release day. This decision, as per a Dharma spokesperson, was driven by a desire to avoid the trend of paying for favorable or unfavorable reviews. “Word of mouth has now become more credible than paid reviews,” shared an industry insider, shedding light on the controversial practice where publicists and production houses reportedly pay critics up to Rs 1 lakh for biased coverage.
With all these elements in play, Jigra’s release is surrounded by heightened anticipation and speculation. As fans await the movie, it remains to be seen how this controversy will impact the film’s reception.
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