City-based film producer duped of 1.91 crore

AHMEDABAD: A city-based realtor-turned-film producer has filed a complaint against a Mumbai-based producer for duping him of Rs 1.91 crore. Harshad Vaghela, promoter of Labh Constructions and Ozone Film Production, has accused Tabun Sutradhar and two others of the fraud.
Vaghela, a resident of Signature near Gulbai Tekra, lodged the complaint with Gujarat University police station against Sutradhar, his wife Rekha, both residents of Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (west), and Gaurishankar Jaiswal, a resident of Goregaon (west), on Wednesday.
Vaghela alleged that the trio after having several rounds of discussion with him between June 2007 and May 2009 had conned him into becoming a joint producer of a Hollywood film, 'Hidden.' Vaghela stated that the film starred famous Hollywood actors - Christopher Atkins, star of 'The Blue Lagoon,' Shawar Ali and two Malaysian beauty queens Erra Fazira and Elaine Daly. Shot in Malaysia, this English horror flick was jointly produced by Sutradhar's N'Six Entertainment and Vaghela's Ozone.
Vaghela alleged that he was promised at least double the amount as profit after marketing and the release of the movie and was also shown rushes of the film. "However, he was kept in the dark about the movie's fate and was provided wrong information and accounts. He later came to know that the movie was sold to another producer," Gujarat University police station inspector SJ Vaghasiya told TOI. "A team will be sent to Mumbai to question the accused in the case and collect data about the alleged fraud," he added. Vaghela had built residential schemes like Sarjan, and Sun City in Ahmedabad.