Pooja Entertainments—run by Vashu Bhagnani and his son Jackky Bhagnani—went through a tough phase last year after their three post-pandemic releases flopped. The company made headlines after it had to lay off 80 percent of its staff and mortgage properties. Rakul Preet Singh, who married Jackky last year after dating for many years, recently spoke about how they navigated the financial loss.
During a recent chat on Humans of Bombay, Rakul insisted much of what was reported was inaccurate.
"It was a very challenging time for the family and for him. But a lot of things said in the news weren't even correct. No company is shut. I didn't even know because I don't read. I was unbothered because I knew things first-hand. Yes, it's a fact that two to three films didn't work, and it was a huge blow that brought a lot of financial loss—but that happens with every producer. It even happened to Amitabh Bachchan at one point. This is all a phase."
"Any situation in life has two ways of looking at it. I can either register all the wrong things happening or be grateful that I have a roof over my head and a healthy body. I can either say, 'My film didn't do Rs 500 crore but someone else's did,' or I can be grateful that I have a film, I am working, and people are liking my work," Rakul summed up how she dealt with the crisis.
Which Films Didn't Work For Pooja Entertainments
After Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan failed, Vashu Bhagnani went on to file an FIR against director Ali Abbas Zafar, accusing him of financial fraud and inflating the film's production budget.
The company made headlines after reports claimed dues were unpaid to staff. Later, the payment was reportedly made with the help of actors Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff.
The heavy financial losses were said to have forced the Bhagnanis to mortgage multiple properties.
Pooja Entertainments' post-pandemic releases—Mission Raniganj, Ganapath, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan—failed at the box office, leaving the company to adopt strict measures to combat the situation.
Among the releases, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was said to be made on a budget of Rs 400 crore.
As financial stress mounted, reports claimed that the Bhagnanis had laid off nearly 80% of their staff and were compelled to sell their seven-storey Mumbai office building to manage an estimated debt of roughly Rs 250 crore. Later, Vashu Bhagnani denied rumors of bankruptcy, clarifying that the office building was being redeveloped, not sold.