Casting, No Pre-Release Screenings To Fake Collection Claim: All You Need To Know About Alia Bhatt's Jigra Controversy

Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina’s Jigra is now out in theatres. It is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions along with Alia and Shaheen Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions. The film received positive to mixed reviews from the critics and audience. Jigra has had to face its share of controversies and hurdles before making it to theatres on October 11. Right from the time its first asset released, Jigra had various obstacles to clear. Now, on the second day of the film’s release, Divya Khossla Kumar’s direct dig at Alia and the makers added fuel to the troubles. While the makers are yet to address some of the new issues, here’s looking at the timeline of controversies faced by Jigra.

Divya Khossla’s Savi vs Alia Bhatt’s Jigra When the promotional asset of Jigra was unveiled, Divya Khossla was promoting her film, Savi. Considering both films belong to the jailbreak theme, netizens compared them leading the actress to say, “I too have been getting this question a lot from the media, the industry and the trade that ‘Savi’ and ‘Jigra’ are seeming very similar, the plot and everything. Well, I would just like to say that with the love of the audience and the grace of God that ‘Savi’ has proved its worth totally on its own merits.” She added, “We had a very good run in theatres and OTT too and we topped the charts in various countries. So, I’m just thankful for all the love. And yes, our film was based on jailbreak– how a simple housewife attempts a jailbreak to get her husband out of the prison. And even though ‘Jigra’ may be similar to it I feel every film has its own journey to it and sometimes two production houses can make a film on a similar plot.”

Vasan Bala not liking Karan Johar sending the premature script of Jigra to Alia Bhatt The matter elevated when Vasan Bala, the director of Jigra, said in an interview with Tried&Refused Productions, "I had sent one very kaccha pakka (roughly drafted) email, very stream of consciousness thought, sent it to Karan. I think six or seven hours later, he called saying, 'I've already sent it to Alia'. I was really not happy with it. I was like, 'I would have at least done some spellcheck, grammar check, hygiene, written some very nice hero entry. So that email was sent, I was like, 'Why did you do this?'. Karan said, 'No, no, this is how it works'." When a section of netizens slammed Karan for being biased towards Alia and not giving other actresses an equal chance to show their talents, he clarified Vasan’s statement by saying, “Twitter became X and became my X a while ago… I broke up with the nauseous noise and muted the unwarranted angst… but social media is like the Lockness monster it’s gets to you even when you can’t see it.. so was flooded with Vasan Bala’s interview which he answered with pure innocence and so much love… the gore misinterpretation of his comment about me sending the script to Alia without his grammar checks made me laugh initially at the ludicrousness of it all but now is truly annoying me… Vasan continues to be one of my most talented and wonderful collaborators and if you see his interview and hear his tone you will totally get it! BUT NO… much ado about nothing is all over the place… I fold my hands and tell everyone please hear and read entire interviews before making click bait assumptions! Loads of Love to all of you…”

ALSO READ: Dharma Productions puts an end to pre-release screenings On October 7, Dharma Productions made a statement, putting an end to pre-release and paid previews of their upcoming titles. The statement read, “After much deliberation, we've unanimously decided to forgo pre-release screenings for our upcoming films. This decision has been difficult to make, however, we believe it's a necessary step in ensuring that every viewer, including our friends in the media, witness our stories as they were meant to be experienced. We believe it will help in maintaining the excitement of the cinematic experience for all.” For the media, the production house “will be hosting press screenings in the first half of the release day for each of our movies.”

ALSO READ: Divya Khossla accuses Jigra makers of reporting fake collections While the fire of the pre-release controversy was yet to be extinguished completely, Divya Khossla shared a picture of Jigra running in an empty theatre on Saturday morning. She wrote, “Went to Citi Mall PVR for Jigra show. Theatre was totally empty … all theaters going empty every where. #Aliabhatt me sach mein Bahut #Jigra hai.. khud hi tickets karide aur fake collections announce kar diye. Wonder why paid media is silent. #weshdnotfooltheaudience #truthoverlies #HappyDussehra.” Karan shared a cryptic post on Instagram, taking a sly dig at Divya. The note read, “Silence is the best speech you will ever give to fools.” A few hours later, Divya’s next story read, “Truth will always offend fools opposed to it.” She then shared a note, “When you are shamelessly accustomed to stealing what rightfully belongs to others, you always seek shelter in silence. You will have no voice no spine.” ALSO READ: Jigra has taken a slow start at the box office amid the controversy and a clash with Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri’s Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video. Trade experts presume the low buzz for the jailbreak drama is due to the controversy.