On its April 17 release, Bhooth Bangla set the cash registers ringing, leaving Akshay Kumar, director Priyadarshan, and producer Ektaa R Kapoor elated. But the joy has hardly reached its crew members. Some of them are disheartened, waiting almost six months for their dues to be cleared.

mid-day spoke to a vendor working on the horror comedy, who claimed that Balaji Telefilms Limited owes him close to Rs 30 lakh in fees. “Payments are getting stuck for months. Once the film releases, it becomes difficult to get the money out. The 90-day invoice clearance has become a thing of the past,” said the vendor, on the condition of anonymity.