Santoshi at BACHCHANs' door, asks for his money

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi must have been in a real fix. To recover the money that he had already given the Jr Bachchan and his wife for his film Ladies and Gentlemen, Santoshi did not rely on mere letters or even film governing bodies. Mumbai Mirror learnt that Santoshi went knocking at the Bachchan residence to get his money back.

Santoshi was spotted coming out of Jalsa last week. Inquiries revealed that Santoshi had paid Rs 25 lakh each to Abhishek and Aishwarya for his film Ladies and Gentleman. However, the film couldn't take off because of Aishwarya's pregnancy. According to a source close to the filmmaker, to recover his lost money, Santoshi went to Abhishek's bungalow and even though the Bachchans were not amused, Abhishek didn't keep him waiting and returned the signing amount.

Confirming that he has received his Rs 50 lakh signing amount for Ladies and Gentleman, Santoshi said, "But I will make a new film with them, perhaps next year."

Ladies and Gentleman was supposed to go on floors in July 2011 in which Aishwarya was supposed to play the lead. When the actress was pregnant, Santoshi had said, "The fact that Aishwarya and Abhishek are going to be parents is far more important than my film. The role will no longer suit her."

According to reports, Preity Zinta was approached to step into Aishwarya's shoes. Zinta being a good friend expressed her inclination to star opposite her Jhoom Barabar Jhoom co-star. However, due to various reasons Santoshi decided not to pursue the film altogether.