New Delhi: Actor Satendra Soni, known for his role in Kiran Rao’s 2024 film Laapataa Ladies, has recently shared a video on Instagram asking the public to help him in a financial dispute with filmmaker Pushpendra Singh.
“Hello, my name is Satendra Soni. I am an actor,” Soni said while crying in the video. Soni shared the video on 27 June, urging people to help him against the director and producer of the upcoming film Ped Palki, Pushpendra Singh.
According to Soni, he was paid a signing amount of Rs 50,000, but when he asked for the remaining payment, Singh refused. He further alleged that he was told not to be seen at the hotel where Singh was staying again and was threatened with death if he returned.
“When I asked for my payment, they made me leave and threatened me. They told me to check out of the hotel within 10 minutes, or they would beat me. His wife, Pragati Chauhan, the film’s heroine, started abusing me,” he said. He further explained the issue in detail in the comments section.
Later on Saturday, Soni posted another video, informing people that he, along with actors Shreedhar Dubey, and Pankaj Sharma, had safely reached Delhi. In the video, Dubey said that the journey was very difficult, but they reached safely with police support.
“This was a first for the three of us, so we went through a lot of mental strain; it was a huge lesson. We really needed someone to talk to. We felt alone, but people like Mukesh Tiwari and Ashutosh Rana didn’t let us feel that way,” he said.
“Given the way they behaved, they were not there to make cinema but had bad intentions,” he added.
The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has sought an FIR against filmmaker Pushpendra Singh. In a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, the AICWA demanded that the police register an FIR against Singh based on Soni’s allegations and ensure the safety and security of film workers and artists in the state.
“The Indian film industry can only grow when every worker is treated with dignity, receives timely payment, and is protected by the rule of law… No Payment. No Violence. No Exploitation. Justice for Every Artist,” the association said in its press release.
In the statement issued by AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, the association placed six demands before the MP government: an immediate FIR and criminal investigation, blacklisting Pushpendra Singh from the film industry, statewide safety measures for film workers, justice for Satendra Soni and the other artists through due legal process, a comprehensive investigation into previous allegations against Pushpendra Singh, and the immediate payment of Satendra Soni’s pending remuneration.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)