Actor Deepak Tijori has accused three individuals of cheating him on the pretext of arranging funds for his upcoming film. Following his complaint, an FIR has been registered against the trio for allegedly duping him of Rs 2.5 lakh under the guise of film financing.

As per the police, the Bollywood actor was looking for people to finance his film when his friend introduced him to one of the accused, who said he was associated with a music company. He was then introduced to the second person in February last year who claimed to be a film producer. The latter told him that she would help him secure investors and asked for Rs 5 lakh for the job.

He allegedly paid Rs 2.5 lakh as the first instalment, after which the accused assured him that they would provide a “Letter of Interest” from a prominent content company within a week and also signed an agreement. However, Tijori has claimed that they failed to deliver on their promise and later began avoiding his calls and messages.

This is when he filed a complaint after he realised that he was duped. The probe is underway and all three of them will be summoned for investigation soon.

Tijori, who made his debut in 1990 with Aashiqui, is well known for his characters in films such as Sadak, Khiladi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Pehla Nasha and more. Reflecting on his early days and close friends such as Pooja Bhatt, Aamir Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan, the actor once spoke to Filmfare about the comfort they shared.

He said, “I have heard this a lot of times that everybody works in groups. As they say, ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’. We all work in a group, in a clan. And this is not a new thing. The clan was there back then, and it existed even before us. It has always been there. We were all friends and used to having fun. We used to go to the sets and play games. During the shooting of Pehla Nasha, we used to play dumb charades before the shooting. Today, we talk about insiders. But people do it because there is a comfort level. If I go to someone with my script, and they refuse to do it because I don’t have any equation with them, then I will not feel bad. My talent or my work is a matter of later. What happens first is that when I go on set, I don’t want to see any irritating characters. I want my friends. So that is what is happening. The environment is still the same. Films are made the same way and will continue to be made the same way. But that success or failure, it is a matter of time.”

Music maestro AR Rahman recently opened up about losing work in Bollywood in the last decade. The Oscar-winning composer attributed this to the shifting power dynamics within the industry. During an interview with the BBC Asian Network, AR Rahman spoke about how he has never chased projects. Talking about losing work, he said, “Maybe in the past eight years, because a power shift has happened, and people who are not creative have the power now. It might be a communal thing also… but it is not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers.”

He continued, “They booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I say good, I have more time to chill with my family. I am not in search for work. I don’t want to go in search for work. I want work to come to me; my sincerity to earn work. Whatever I deserve, I get.”

The composer also opened up about the time when he used to feel like an outsider in the industry despite his success. However, with Taal, he became a household name.

Moreover, he spoke about how not speaking Hindi acted as a barrier when he started working in Bollywood. He said, “I never spoke Hindi. It’s very difficult for a Tamil person to speak Hindi because we have such an attachment.” Filmmaker Subhash Ghai suggested that he learn the language, and Rahman chose to learn Urdu, which he termed as the “mother of Hindi music.”

The composer was then asked about the prejudice against South Indian artistes in the Hindi film industry, to which he said, “Maybe it was concealed, but I didn’t feel any of this. People who are not creative have the power now.”

Meanwhile, AR Rahman has come on board Mari Selvaraj and Dhanush’s film as a composer.

Also Read: Mari Selvaraj Confirms AR Rahman for Dhanush’s D56