3 minutes of readingNew DelhiFebruary 5, 2026 11:17 am
Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt are still behind bars in a Rs 30 crore criminal fraud and breach of trust case. In fact, the Rajasthan High Court recently refused to grant them bail again to continue the investigation. Now the casting director for his 2023 film 1920: Horrors of the heartParag Chadha, has filed new allegations against him. In his latest social media post, he claimed that Vikram is yet to pay the cast and crew dues of the film.
Taking to his Instagram account, the well-known casting director, who helped with casting in films like Ek Tha Tiger, Band Baaja Baaraat and Rabba Main Kya Karoon, shared a carousel with a strong note against Vikram Bhatt, along with his chat screenshots. In his post he explicitly named Vikram Bhatt, director Krishna Bhatt and the producer of Avika Gor’s horror drama.
Chadha alleged that she had been requesting the payments for years and never received any response from the team. “The film was released in June 2023 and we were assured that our casting fees would be paid after the release. We remained patient, fully trusting the stature of the filmmakers we were working with,” a part of their post read.
After the film earned over Rs 20 crore, considered a box office hit, the casting director along with the actors were assured that their dues would be cleared soon. “As of February 2026, our full payment has not yet been settled, the only response in recent years has been ‘we have no funds’. Several actors and crew of the film remain UNPAID,” the note adds. He also attached some screenshots of the chat requesting his payment from Vikram Bhatt’s team.
Vikram Bhatt in custody
In December 2025, the filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt were arrested by Rajasthan Police Bombay and taken to Udaipur. Since then they have been in judicial custody. They were put behind bars following a complaint filed against them by Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Center and a resident of Udaipur. In the case, Murdia accused Bhatt, his wife and others of cheating him of Rs 30 crore, which was taken on the pretext of film production.