Bollywood director Vikram Bhatt accused of defrauding Udaipur doctor of Rs 30 crore

Udaipur: An FIR has been registered against Bollywood film director Vikram Bhatt for allegedly defrauding a Udaipur-based doctor of over Rs 30 crore by luring him into financing films with promises of earning Rs 200 crore. The filmmaker, however, has denied the allegations, saying that the police are being “misled.”

A case of fraud was registered at the Bhupalpura police station against film director Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt, a local identified as Dinesh Kataria and six others on November 8, news agency PTI reported.

According to the complaint registered by the doctor, who is also the founder of Indira IVF, the accused include film director Vikram Bhatt, his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, from Mumbai, their daughter, Krishna Bhatt, and others.

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The doctor claimed he came in contact with Dinesh Kataria through a music group that claimed to have strong links in the Mumbai film industry. He visited a studio in Mumbai in April 2024, where Kataria introduced him to Bhatt.

“The director allegedly assured him that he would handle the entire filmmaking process and asked him to keep sending funds,” police said.

The doctor alleged that the fraud involved over Rs 30 crore.

According to the police, a case has been registered under relevant sections, and the matter is under investigation.

Vikram Bhatt responds to allegations

Speaking exclusively to NDTV after learning about the FIR, Vikram Bhatt firmly denied the allegations and claimed that the police had been misled. He said he came to know about the complaint only on Monday.

He said, "Yes, I found out today that the founder of Indira IVF has filed an FIR not just against me but against eight of us. I have read the FIR, and in my view, it is misleading. The police have been completely misguided because the things written in the FIR are absolutely wrong."

Vikram Bhatt further suggested that forged documents may have been used to convince authorities. He said, "It's obvious that he must have created some fabricated, forged documents. I don't know what exactly, but there must be something he used to convince the police."

The filmmaker further alleged that he had abruptly stopped the production of the film and failed to clear the payments owed to the technicians.

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