Neerja, the Sonam Kapoor starrer that played a major role in redefining her Bollywood career, is locked in a legal battle with the Bhanot family. Media reports suggest that the family of Neerja Bhanot, on whose life the movie was based, is upset with the producers for not holding their end of the deal. The producers- Bling Entertainment, was supposed to give a set share of the net profits from the movie. But the producers have not done that.
It is reported that the Bhanot family is likely to approach the High Court of either Punjab or Haryana. Bling Entertainment headed by Atul Kasbeka is accused of breaching the contract. The company signed a contract with Rama Bhanot- now deceased. The family had demanded 10 percent share of the profit, but the company later haggled and promised them a lesser share.
The lawyer from Bhanot family argued that Bling promised them an amount and also that they would not get into a contract with any other company. The contract reported read that “production, distribution and exploitation” of the film would be undertaken by the company and its entities.
However, Bling is reported to have said that their share of the profit came down after they struck a deal with Fox Star Studios. The CEO of Fox Star India, Vijay Singh, collected the National Award for best film. It is reported that people from both sides met Kapil Sibal to solve matters amicably but that did not happen.
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The Bhanot family is said to have planned to use the funds for a social cause. The family is upset with the way Bling has been behaving with them.
Neerja Bhanot was 23 when she died saving passengers on the PanAm flight. She was bestowed with the Ashok Chakra and the movie on the braveheart did exceptionally well at the Box Office.
