Highlights
In a twist of events, Mumbai police has put a stop to the case against Digangana Suryavanshi, thus erasing any wrongdoing against her as accused by Show Stopper director-producer Manish Harishankar. The scandal, which was brewing in Bollywood for some time, concerned threats to demand money and fraudulent actions regarding the participation of the actor Akshay Kumar in the web series. This development should be considered a triumph for Suryavanshi, whose team has published an RTI report as a form of clearing her name. The case has given an insight on the various affiliations and commercial transactions in the Indian entertainment sector.
Allegations And The Initial Controversy
The Showstopper controversy started in June when Manish Harishankar through his production house MH Films lodged a complaint against Digangana Suryavanshi to the police. The complaint filed under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 and 406 charged the actress of cheating and criminal breach of trust. This was the primary allegation against Suryavanshi regarding which he was accused of having falsely assured that Akshay Kumar and his company would present the web series.
As per the complaint, Suryavanshi used to claim to have personal contact with bollywood actors like Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. It is said that she had used these claims to influence the production house on the possibility of getting Akshay Kumar on board. The scenario was taken to the next level when advocate Falguni Brahmbhatt, representing MH Films accused Suryavanshi of demanding cash worth sums of money and threatening to harm her in the process.
Source Image: Digangana Suryavanshi
Suryavanshi’s Defense and Counter-Actions
To the allegations, Digangana Suryavanshi did not waste time and immediately responded to the claims. She denied all the allegations and also filed defamation notice against Manish Harishankar. Besides, she lodged her complaint against the director-producer for cheating, criminal intimidation, defamation under the IPC sections.
Suryavanshi was very much clear and equally determined for the stand he had taken. She called his story a ‘twisted imagination’ and termed it as ‘cheap publicity stunt.’ The actress also accused Harishankar of trying to look for a scape-goat to blame for his failure to sell the show even after more than two years of its preparation.
Another layer was added to the defense in which Suryavanshi’s lawyer Rajendra Mishra made a big statement. Mishra said that Suryavanshi had got the nod from Akshay Kumar to join as the presenter for Show Stopper. However, this was as part of a business transaction that Harishankar, allegedly, could not fulfill once he entered into it. This statement changed the course of the discussion to point to the fact that perhaps the problem could have been in the failure to deliver on the actor’s side than in the false advertisement by the actress.
Resolution and Implications
The shut down of this case by Mumbai police can be considered as a twist in this controversy. Suryavanshi’s team shared an RTI report with the public and issued a statement that claimed that all the accusations leveled against her were fake. The Mumbai police was also thanked for their fair investigation and for doing “justice and bringing out the truth.
This development not only clears Suryavanshi but also makes one wonder about the charges and the reasons for making them in the first place. It underlines the need for adherence to the legal process and the conduct of proper investigations in such matters especially within an industry that can be very volatile and sensitive due to the impact that certain accusations can have in making or marring reputations.
That’s why the Show Stopper controversy is not limited to Suryavanshi and Harishankar only. This web series, which has Zeenat Aman, Zarina Wahab, and Shweta Tiwari in the lead roles, has faced a number of problems. Recent allegations of partial payment to actors and crew members also put the project in a very difficult situation. The series revolving around the topic of bra fittings and women’s health was filmed in Bhopal, Indore and Mumbai.
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This case should be a lesson to the film and series production ventures since creativity, strategy, and interpersonal relations cannot be easily predicted. It also focuses on the relations of power within show business and the possibility of conflict over the interpretation of certain circumstances turning into a legal issue.
