Eight months after the shows end, Samir yet to get his dues

Eight months after the show's end, Samir yet to get his dues of 27 lakh

Actor Samir Soni is seething with anger as the producer of his last TV venture, Khauff Begins...Ringa Ringa Roses, hasn't paid him '27 lakh; an amount outstanding ever since the show ended this year in January.

Says the actor, "The actual amount was '50 lakh, out of which they paid me '23 lakh after I chased them incessantly. I've been waiting for the last eight months to hear from them for the remaining dues."

He adds, "They told me since the show ended abruptly, the production house suffered losses and hence, they don't have the money to clear my dues. Do they share their profits with me? Then why do they expect me to bear losses?" He even approached CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes Association), but the body couldn't help him, as he didn't have a copy of his contract with the production house to substantiate his claim. "At times, you do a show in good faith. When I was signed on for the show, I didn't ask for a copy of the contract and hence, didn't have anything to show to CINTAA," he explains.

The producers finally contacted the actor last week, promising to resolve the matter. "They wanted me to collect a post dated cheque and give them an NOC (No Objection Certificate) in return. I told them that I would only give the NOC after the cheque is cleared. However, when I informed them that I would send my boy to collect the cheque, I was told that they can't issue it because there is no electricity at their office," he states.

Samir is shocked at the behaviour meted out to him. "If this can happen to an actor like me who has spent 15 years in this profession, I can only imagine the state of newcomers and technicians," he tells us. Despite repeated attempts, we couldn't reach producer Majid Khan for comment.