Vasan Balan, who helmed Alia Bhatt starrer Jigra, addressed the controversies surrounding his latest release.
Vasan Bala, known for films like Peddlers, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Monica O My Darling, recently helmed Alia Bhatt-Vedang Raina starrer Jigra which hit the theatrical screens on October 11. The film opened to mixed reviews and failed to meet the expectations of the audience.
Jigra also got embroiled in a controversy when Divya Khosla Kumar took to social media to share a picture an empty theatre and slammed Alia Bhatt and producer Karan Johar for allegedly inflating box office figures of this Vasan Bala directorial. There were also allegations of plagiarism with reference to her film Savi which released earlier this year.
Now, Vasan Bala, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter has finally clarified these allegations. The filmmaker told the publication that people are free to watch Jigra and Savi to figure out if his film is a copy of Divya’s film.
Vasan said, “Savi (2024), came out when we were editing the film. 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.”
Reacting to claims of inflated box office numbers, he continued, “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.”
Jigra marks Vasan Bala’s first collaboration with Alia Bhatt who is also the co-producer of this action thriller. According to reports, by the end of first week, the film collected Rs 22.19 crore in India.