Nagma rejects 'puppet' jibe at CINTAA, warns Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure
Synopsis
Veteran actor Nagma has gone public with a pointed rebuke of CINTAA's senior leadership, calling the 'puppet' taunt from Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure 'extremely disrespectful' and raising questions about governance failures and misuse of welfare funds — escalating an already fractious internal dispute that has driven eight elected members to resign.
Key Takeaways
Nagma , newly elected CINTAA executive committee member, publicly rejected claims by Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure that she was acting as a 'puppet' of a faction.
She called the remarks 'extremely demeaning' and 'disrespectful', stressing she joined the association on her own initiative.
Eight elected CINTAA members — including Mukesh Rishi , Vikas Verma , and Deepak Parashar — have resigned, citing lack of consultation in decision-making.
Nagma raised concerns that CINTAA welfare funds intended for struggling artists were being used to pay staff salaries.
She called for dialogue and said she would respect any court ruling on the leadership dispute.
Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure have denied wrongdoing and maintained the organisation's finances are properly accounted for.
Actor and newly elected Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) executive committee member Nagma has sharply pushed back against remarks by senior members Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure, who reportedly implied that she and other newly elected members were acting as 'puppets' of a particular faction. Speaking on 2 October in Mumbai, Nagma called the remarks 'extremely demeaning' and warned that such attitudes would not be tolerated.
What Nagma Said
Nagma, a veteran actor who has starred alongside Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, and Jackie Shroff, stressed that she entered the association with her own convictions, not at anyone else's behest. 'I have worked with big actors. Also both Padmini ji and Poonam ji are seniors just about 5–10 years. Mithun Chakravarty, Johnny Lever sir are even senior than them who have been working so hard for years. So it is extremely demeaning to pass such low comments calling us puppets, and that we are dancing to somebody else's tunes, it is just extremely disrespectful,' she said.
She added a firm rejoinder: 'Do not insult us. Do not demean us and say that we do not have a brain and that we have come with a low mind and we will follow someone's path.'
Core Grievances: Governance and Funds
Beyond the personal sting of the 'puppet' remark, Nagma raised structural concerns about how CINTAA is being run. She said the association's president had been conducting meetings without adequately hearing executive committee members — a complaint she linked directly to the wave of collective resignations that recently rocked the body. 'Why else do you think people resign collectively?!' she said.
She also questioned the allocation of CINTAA's welfare funds, arguing that money set aside for struggling artists was instead being directed toward staff salaries. 'You are distributing the money of the artists to the staff and this is not right,' she said. Nagma maintained that all members, including herself, were volunteering without remuneration and that the organisation's purpose was member welfare, not internal political battles.
Background: The CINTAA Leadership Crisis
The dispute within CINTAA escalated after several executive committee members resigned en masse, alleging that the leadership was making decisions without consulting the broader committee. Eight elected executive members — including Mukesh Rishi, Vikas Verma, and Deepak Parashar — were among those who stepped down. Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure have denied all allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that the organisation's finances are fully accounted for and that they acted within the association's framework.
A Call for Resolution — But on the Record
Despite her sharp public criticism, Nagma said she was reluctant to air the association's internal disputes in public. 'I don't think we need to wash dirty linen in public as they say,' she said, adding that she would respect any court ruling on the matter. She called for dialogue: 'I think this is something that we can come to on one table and resolve all the issues.'
Notably, Nagma's intervention adds fresh visibility to a dispute that had previously centred on established CINTAA insiders, and signals that the faction of newer elected members is prepared to speak out forcefully. The matter is reportedly before the courts, and a judicial outcome could determine the direction of the association's leadership going forward.
Point of View
But Nagma's public rebuttal has handed the CINTAA dispute a wider audience than it would otherwise have attracted. What began as an internal governance quarrel — collective resignations, disputed finances, an authoritative leadership style — has now become a reputational flashpoint for some of the industry's most recognisable names. The more substantive accusation, largely underplayed in the back-and-forth, is the alleged diversion of artist welfare funds to staff costs; if borne out, that is a governance failure that no amount of public mudslinging can paper over. The courts will eventually rule, but the real damage to CINTAA's credibility is already accumulating in the court of industry opinion.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CINTAA dispute about?
The Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) is facing an internal leadership crisis in which several elected executive committee members resigned, alleging that decisions were being made without adequate consultation. The row centres on governance, welfare fund usage, and allegations of authoritative leadership.
Why did Nagma speak out against Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure?
Nagma responded after Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure reportedly implied that she and other newly elected members were acting as 'puppets' of a particular group. She called the remark 'extremely demeaning' and 'disrespectful', asserting that she joined CINTAA independently with her own views.
Who resigned from CINTAA's executive committee?
Eight elected executive committee members resigned, including Mukesh Rishi, Vikas Verma, and Deepak Parashar. They cited a lack of consultation in the leadership's decision-making process as their primary reason.
What did Nagma say about CINTAA's welfare funds?
Nagma alleged that funds meant for the welfare of struggling artists were being used to pay staff salaries, calling it 'not right'. She argued that the association exists to serve its members and that all executive volunteers, including herself, work without pay.
How has Poonam Dhillon responded to the allegations?
Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure have denied all allegations of wrongdoing, maintaining that CINTAA's finances are fully accounted for and that they acted within the association's established framework. The matter is reportedly also before the courts.
