Earlier this month, it was reported that crew members of Vikram Bhatt’s 2023 horror film 1920: Horrors Of The Heart and the upcoming action film Khilone had not been paid their dues. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Khilone’s make-up artist, Komal Halai Dhawan and another crew member, who chose to remain anonymous. They alleged unprofessional conduct and non-payment of their dues. Komal confirmed that she is still awaiting payment of Rs. 1.75 lakh.
Bollywood Hungama has now learned that even the film’s leading actress, Anupria Goenka, who has left a mark in films and shows like Tiger Zinda Hai, Padmaavat, War, Criminal Justice, Asur, Aashram etc., has not received her full remuneration. A source, who worked on Khilone, told us, “Not just crew members, but even the leading actors of the film were not paid. In short, everyone associated with the film has suffered.”
The source further claimed, “Anupria Goenka was paid for a certain number of days. However, she is yet to receive payment for approximately 15 days from the final schedule.”
When contacted by Bollywood Hungama, Anupria was unavailable for comment but her then management confirmed that, “Yes, she hasn’t been fully paid, despite repeated reminders and follow-up”.
Jisshu Sengupta played the male lead in Khilone. Bollywood Hungama reached out to him for comment, but he, too, was unavailable.
According to the source, the production also faced significant scheduling issues. “The shoot was initially planned for 30 days. However, due to mismanagement, it stretched to 45 days over five months. The extended schedule disrupted the commitments of several actors and technicians,” the source said.
The film was left unfinished toward the end of 2022. “Since then, for nearly three and a half years now, many individuals associated with the project have been struggling to recover their pending dues,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Vikram Bhatt was also in the news recently after he and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, were arrested by the Udaipur police in December 2025, in a Rs 30 crores cheating case. The complaint was filed by Dr Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira Group of Companies. He alleged that he was promised high earnings of Rs. 200 crores from the four films that he produced with Vikram Bhatt, but it didn’t materialize.
