Tera kya hoga Kumaran?

Co-producers of Tera Kya Hoga Johny, Manu Kumaran and Karan Arora at war; Arora accuses the former of giving him a cheque that bounced

The unreleased Tera Kya Hoga Johny has run into trouble. On December 14, the Dindoshi court will hear a suit filed by UK-based businessman and co-producer of the film Karan Arora against Manu Kumaran, the film's other producer and CEO, Medient Worldwide Holdings. The film stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami and Kay Kay Menon.



Arora has lodged a cheque bouncing case against Kumaran and has pleaded with the court to stay the film's release. He has also held Delhi based M/s Century Communication, the maker of the film, a party in the case.

In 2008, both Arora and Kumaran had approached M/s Century Communications, seeking movie rights.

The deal was struck for Rs 5.28 crore. Under a mutual contract, Arora agreed to invest Rs 1.25 crores, while Kumaran was to contribute Rs 50 lakhs. Arora accused Kumaran of deliberately holding the release of the movie at an appropriate time (early 2009), hoping the film would fetch more revenue from sponsors, as Mukesh was gaining popularity among the masses for his role in another movie, which was released during the said period. This has led to the subsequent rift between the two.

After a continuous follow up and negotiations, they finally agreed to a settlement and entered into another agreement on August 13, 2010, according to which Kumaran was to pay Arora his contribution of Rs 1.25 crores, a month before releasing the movie.

A cheque was accordingly issued to Arora. However, the cheque bounced and Arora held Kumaran responsible for dishonouring of the cheque under the Negotiable Instrument Act.

A civil and criminal case was filed against Kumaran and M/s Century Communication at the City Civil Court, Dindoshi on Thursday. Advocate Dinesh Tiwari, who represents Arora, confirmed that the lawsuit was filed in the Dindoshi court, but refused to divulge any information, stating client confidentiality.

However, advocate Vibhav Krishna, who represents M/s Century Communications, said, "We are the makers and the commercial deal can be completed only after obligations are completed. Karan Arora and Medient's inter se disputes are to be resolved amongst themselves. M/s Century Communication is only concerned with the agreement and its compliance."

In his defence, Kumaran said, "Karan Arora and Century Communications are equity investors in Tera Kya Hoga Johny and Medient have committed to paying their investment on the release. The film is yet to be censored and we are waiting for the certificate to lock the release date.

In the circumstances, this lawsuit is misconceived, mischievous and devoid of merit. Our lawyers have made relevant representations before the court and we will release the film. Going to court is a cheap publicity stunt since Medient had lready issued a lab letter to him."

When asked if this was an attempt by the film unit to gain publicity, a senior film critic said on condition of anonymity, "Any media coverage before the release of a film is good, but this seems like a serious matter.

Kumaran has been accused of cheque bouncing, which is a punishable offence under law. Nobody would stoop to such a level for coverage, at the cost of going to jail."

What's the film about?
Tera Kya Hoga Johny is directed by director Sudhir Mishra, starring child actor Sikander in the lead role. Actors Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan and Karan Nath are part of the cast.

The film is about Mumbai, and a child who sells tea on the streets. In January this year, the film was leaked on YouTube while still undergoing post-production work. Mishra filed an FIR and the police are investigating the source of the leak.