Bombay HC Denies Relief to Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Payment Dispute with Zee Studios Over Film ‘Haddi’

The Bombay High Court recently refused to grant relief to Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in his lawsuit against Zee Studios, where he sought payment for his role as the lead actor in the film ‘Haddi.’

A single bench of Justice SM Modak found no immediate urgency to issue any orders until Zee Studios is given an opportunity to respond to Siddiqui’s claims. The judge stated, “I do not find any pressing urgency to pass an order until proper opportunity is given to the respondent to reply. Ultimately if the court comes to the conclusion, the prayer to deposit money will be granted and they will comply.”

Siddiqui asserted that he had entered into an artist agreement with the film’s producer, Anandita Studios, which stipulated that he would receive ₹5 crores as fees for his role in the movie. Subsequently, Anandita Studios entered into an agreement with Zee Studios, making Zee the sole and exclusive owner of all rights to the film.

On August 15, 2023, Siddiqui sent a reminder to Anandita Studios to make a payment of ₹5,07,00,826 to him, threatening to approach the High Court if the payment was not made. In response, Anandita Studios claimed that they had already paid ₹4.5 crores, with the remaining ₹50 lakh to be paid when the film’s marketing began, and the remaining ₹25 lakh upon the film’s release. The company also expressed confusion regarding how Siddiqui arrived at the figure of ₹5,07,14,000 as the overdue amount.

In a subsequent meeting, Siddiqui explained that he had allocated an additional 32 days for shooting ‘Haddi,’ beyond what was stipulated in the contract, and was therefore seeking an additional ₹5.07 crores.

With no response from Anandita, Siddiqui approached the High Court, seeking a directive for Zee Studios to deposit all amounts as per the agreement. Advocate Hiren Kamod, representing Zee Studios, argued that Siddiqui had already received ₹4.5 crores, and the payment schedule for the remaining amount had been communicated and agreed upon by Siddiqui. He rejected the claim that an additional amount of over ₹5 crores was pending and requested time to respond to the arguments in the interim application, emphasizing that there was no urgency in addressing the matter immediately.

The Court concurred with these arguments and instructed Zee Studios to submit their response. The case was scheduled for a hearing after four weeks.