Producers Varun and Mansi Bagla Dispute Claims by Arushi Nishank

Mumbai, Feb 10 (NationPress) Producers Varun and Mansi Bagla, who head Mini Films, have denied allegations made by Arushi Nishank, daughter of former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. She accused them of financial misconduct involving Rs. 4 crore for a role in their upcoming film.

In an official statement, the producers asserted that the accusations by Arushi Nishank are “absolutely false and misleading.”

“This is a civil matter, and we are pursuing the appropriate legal measures to resolve it. Moreover, Arushi Nishank approached us in Mumbai, persistently seeking a meeting with us, claiming her status as the daughter of the ex-minister of Uttarakhand and her intention to collaborate with us through her company, Himshri Films, for our film.”

The statement continued: “She insisted she could bring our project to Uttarakhand due to her strong political connections, assuring us that she could facilitate many things for us and our film. However, we kindly declined, indicating that we were already making significant progress on our film without any support.”

“She subsequently expressed her aspiration to become a heroine and asked us for a minor role in exchange for investing in the film, asserting that this investment would help her achieve her goal. She claimed it would also enhance her political career by positioning her as the face of Uttarakhand. To persuade us, she spoke of her close ties with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, asserting that she had invited him to the set of her web series Life Hill Gayi and promised to do the same for our film. However, once she was involved, she began threatening us and demanding a larger role as a parallel lead in the film.

“While we were filming in Dehradun, her husband, Abhinav Pant—who frequently tried to engage us with astrological discussions and often asked for our kundali—invited us to his construction site near Dehradun Airport, close to Thano Chowk.

“We were taken to an unfinished building where he threatened us to grant Arushi a parallel lead role in the film. Resisting their pressure, we decided to remove her from the project, terminating her involvement. They issued threats of defamation if we did not comply with their demands.”

“Despite this, she propagated false PR narratives, claiming to be a trio alongside our lead cast. Arushi is known for her media-seeking behavior and has temperamental tendencies. The allegations are entirely fabricated, and our legal team is taking appropriate actions. We urge the media and public to disregard these false claims and await the legal outcome.”

On February 8, Aarushi Nishank alleged that she was deceived regarding a film role. She was purportedly asked to invest Rs 5 crore for a role, with promises of earning threefold returns once the movie was completed. Enthusiastic about the offer, Aarushi paid approximately Rs 4 crore.

Aarushi Nishank claimed that the accused assured her that this investment would yield a 20 percent profit for her firm, amounting to around Rs 15 crores. They informed her that she would finalize the script for her significant role and would be cast based on their satisfaction.

The accused even mentioned that if she was not satisfied with her role, her money would be refunded with 15 percent annual interest.

However, she neither received the role nor her investment back. After a prolonged period without results, Aarushi recognized the fraud. She subsequently filed a complaint in Kotwali city, Dehradun. The police have initiated an investigation and are searching for the suspects. A case has been registered against Manasi Varun and Varun Pramod, both residents of Mumbai.