Vashu Bhagnani alleges money laundering through benami properties by Ali Abbas Zafar, plans to approach ED

Vashu Bhagnani throws serious allegations on Ali Abbas Zafar

The director of Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai, Ali Abbas Zafar, is going through a difficult moment right now.

A disagreement with producer Vashu Bhagnani regarding their most recent movie, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, has escalated into a major controversy. Vashu has accused Ali of money laundering and operating a covert proxy business

In an interview with ANI, the producer discussed this openly and revealed that he had recently got to know of a business called Jolly Jumper Films LLC, which is registered in Abu Dhabi but is purportedly based in Mumbai. Vashu believes this business is being used to unlawfully transfer substantial sums of money.

He explained, “Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra work under a banner known as AAZ Films. We partnered on Bade Miyan Chote Miyan with a clear allocation of roles. I funded the project, while they managed production and direction.”

Vashu says he trusted the process and didn’t interfere with the creative or logistical decisions — the shooting locations, budgets, everything was agreed upon. But just two months ago, he stumbled upon the existence of this mysterious company, which he initially thought was part of the team but later learned was secretly registered under Zafar’s assistant’s name.

“It was only two months ago that I learned about the existence of Jolly Jumper Films LLC... I later discovered it’s registered under the name of Zafar’s assistant and is being run secretly,” he said.

What makes the situation worse, according to Vashu, is that the production budget was allegedly blown up by nearly Rs 80 crore. Despite repeated requests over almost a year, he claims he hasn’t received the final accounts, with the filmmakers apparently distancing themselves from the producer role.

“Their accountant has declined to provide the final financial reports. Instead, they’ve been informing people in the industry that they were merely directors and not producers,” he added.

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Vashu has already filed an FIR at Bandra Police Station and is gearing up to take the matter to higher authorities, including the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI. “This is no longer solely about recovering funds. I want the truth to surface so that no other producer has to endure a situation like this,” he said with determination.

Meanwhile, Ali Abbas Zafar has yet to respond to these serious claims, leaving many to wait and see how this dispute unfolds.