Alia Bhatt's Jigra has been in news ever since its release, as the film is surrounded by controversies over box office manipulation and plagiarism claims by Divya Khossla. Now, director Vasan Bala has reacted to the same and clarified that the allegations are not true.
During an interview with Hollywood Reporter, he addressed Divya's claim of Jigra being a copy of her film 'Savi', and said, “Savi came out when we were editing Jigra. It is already out there. Everyone can watch it and make up their minds. I don’t really want to bring down anyone or add more fuel. With the false bookings, that, I think, is a distribution question. I don’t think it is that murky at all, but anyone who can investigate and bring out anything is more than welcome.”
Not just that, but Manipuri actor Bijou Thaangjam also called out the Jigra casting team and accused them of unprofessional behaviour and discrimination towards actors from Northeast India.
To that, Vasan clarified, “I don't remember seeing his face or audition. He was never told that he was shortlisted. I think they checked his availability. It is normal procedure to call and ask for availability. He probably assumed he got the part. But I am sure there is always a better way of dealing with things. If he has felt bad, then I apologise because these things happen."
Earlier, Divya Khossla had accused Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar of inflating Jigra’s box office numbers.
Jigra is directed by Vasan Bala, who also co-wrote it with Debashish Irengbam. It is produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt and Soumen Mishra under Dharma Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions. The film was released in theatres on October 11.
