‘Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara’ controversy: Kajol's cousin Monjoy Mukerji, Associate Producer clash over Rs 23.73 lakh

Aashwani Kumar and Monjoy Mukerji

A decade-old film has returned to haunt Monjoy Mukerji, son of late actor Joy Mukherjee and cousin to Kajol and Rani Mukerji. In 2016, Monjoy directed Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara. Now, the film's associate producer Ashwani Kumar has claimed that in relation to a long dispute, the joint dispute settlement committee of Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) and Western India Film Producers' Association (WIFPA) has instructed Monjoy to pay Rs 23.73 lakh to his production house.

Kumar told mid-day that he had invested Rs 38.73 lakh in Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara for a 10 per cent profit share and co-producer credit. "After the film was made, I asked for my principal amount according to our contract. Monjoy paid me Rs 15 lakh over a period of time and asked me to take the rights for airing the film on Doordarshan," he recalled. In 2025, Kumar approached IMPPA. "The joint dispute settlement committee asked Monjoy to pay me the remaining Rs 23.73 lakh."

Monjoy, however, offered a different version. "We had a mutual agreement settlement of Rs 20 lakh, out of which Rs 15 lakh was paid to him. In 2023, I sent him an email, saying that he can take the balance Rs 5 lakh and close the matter. But he took the matter to IMPPA, who suggested I pay him R5 lakh while another R5 lakh can be paid over 15 months. He refused that decision too." Monjoy's lawyer Sagar R Chabria added that they have not been informed of any revised decision by the settlement committee.