Vikram Bhatt, who was arrested in a cheating case last year, addressed rumours of a fallout with his mentor and director Mahesh Bhatt after Mahesh remained silent while Vikram was in jail. Dismissing the rumours, Vikram said Mahesh Bhatt didn’t want to “provoke” the matter.
Speaking to ANI, he said, “There are no issues at all. It was only yesterday that he sent me a message to congratulate me. I believe he remained silent because he did not want to exaggerate or provoke the matter. If he had said something, people would have become angrier, and it would have caused me more pain.”
Underscoring the strong bond he shares with Mahesh Bhatt, he added, “Even if I were a thief, he would call me his son. As far as Mahesh Bhatt is concerned, there is a reason behind his silence and no distance. He understood that the time was not right for being aggressive.”
Why Vikram Bhatt Was Arrested
Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt were arrested by Rajasthan Police from Mumbai in December last year in an alleged multi-crore cheating case linked to a proposed biopic on the late wife of Indira IVF founder Ajay Murdia.
Vikram was lodged in Udaipur Central Jail before being granted regular bail by the Supreme Court in February.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Murdia, alleging that the Bhatts induced him to invest over Rs 30 crore in a biopic of his late wife, promising high returns that did not materialise.
Murdia’s counsel told the court that the cheating amount stands at Rs 44 crore.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the Bhatts, argued that as per the agreement, four films were to be made, of which two have already been completed and the third is about 70 per cent complete. He submitted that Bhatt would not be able to finish the project if he remained in custody and that funds were being raised to complete the films. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Ajay Murdia, did not object to the grant of bail to facilitate mediation.
Vikram Bhatt is known for directing films like Ghulam, Kasoor, Footpath, and Shaapit, to name a few.
