'Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara' dispute: Kajol's cousin Monjoy Mukerji faces Rs 23.73 lakh payment row

Kajol's cousin and son of the late actor Joy Mukherjee, Manjoy Mukherjee's 'Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara' film is in the headlines now. He had directed the film in 2016. Now, the movie's associate producer, Ashwani Kumar, recently revealed that the director has been asked to pay Rs 23.73 lakh to resolve a dispute between them by the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) and the Western India Film Producers’ Association (WIFPA). Let's learn more about it.

Is Kajol's cousin Monjoy Mukherjee in legal trouble over his film 'Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara'?

Ashwani Kumar told Mid-Day that he invested Rs 38.73 lakh in the film 'Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara' with a deal of 10 percent share in profits of the movie. He said, "After the film was made, I asked for my principal amount according to our contract. Monjoy paid me Rs 15 lakh over a period of time and asked me to take the rights for airing the film on Doordarshan." Last year, the investor approached IMPPA to resolve the issue. He added, "The joint dispute settlement committee asked Monjoy to pay me the remaining Rs 23.73 lakh."

Monjoy Mukherjee reveals his side of the story

Meanwhile, as per the same publication, Monjoy Mukherjee had a different story to tell. He said, "We had a mutual agreement settlement of Rs 20 lakh, out of which Rs 15 lakh was paid to him. In 2023, I sent him an email, saying that he can take the balance of Rs 5 lakh and close the matter."

The director revealed that Kumar decided to approach IMPPA, and the association suggested he pay Ashwani Rs 5 lakh and another Rs 5 lakh over a period of 15 months. Monjoy added that Kumar refused this suggestion as well.

On the other hand, the filmmaker's lawyer, Sagar R Chabria, shared that they were not informed about the revised decision given by the committee to settle the issue.

More about 'Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara'

Written and directed by Monjoy Joy Mukerji, the film starred Sahil Anand, Herry Tangiri, Vikram Kochhar, Nilesh Lalwani, Niyati Joshi, Divvya Chouksey, Jayaka Yagnik, and Sareh Far. It was released in theaters in the year 2016.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”