Exclusive | Actors, Crew Allege Unpaid Dues on Vikram Bhatt’s '1920: Horrors of the Heart' Since 2023: 'No Hope Now'

Actors and crew members associated with 1920: Horrors of the Heart, produced by filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, have alleged non-payment of dues running into the high tens of lakhs since 2023, THR India has learnt. The film was directed by the filmmaker's daughter, Krishna Bhatt, and written by Mahesh Bhatt, with Avika Gor and Rahul Dev leading the cast.

Those speaking to THR India include the film’s casting director, Parag Chadha; the parent of child actor Ketaki Kulkarni; and other crew members, all of whom allege prolonged delays, incomplete payments, and a lack of response from the production despite repeated follow-ups.

Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari, were allegedly involved in a ₹30 crore fraud case and were arrested in Mumbai in December last year.

Casting Director Alleges Full Non-Payment

Casting director Parag Chadha, who handled casting for the entire film, alleges that 100 percent of his fees remain unpaid, despite his work being completed by the end of 2022.

"As an independent professional, I was hesitant to go public because it directly affects your livelihood. But after waiting patiently for over three years and receiving repeated assurances that were not honoured, I felt people needed to know," Chadha told THR India, days after he posted about the nonpayment on Instagram.

According to Chadha, the film was released theatrically on June 23, 2023, following which he continued to follow up with the production. He claims he was repeatedly redirected to different representatives handling finances, given payment dates that were not met, and eventually received no response at all.

THR India reached out to Krishna Bhatt for comment, but received no response at the time of filing.

“I have email confirmations acknowledging my dues,” he added. “Despite that, no payment was made. I’ve written this money off as bad debt. Speaking out is not about recovering it, it’s about awareness," the casting director said.

Chadha further alleged that payment-related issues were not limited to his role alone. “There were actors in this film earning as little as ₹6,000 a day. Some of them did not receive their full dues. I was contacted by multiple actors who said they were still waiting to be paid, either in part or in full.”

'It Was My Daughter's Debut Film'

Vishwas Kulkarni, whose daughter acted in the film, also alleged partial payment and prolonged uncertainty. “The total amount due was ₹2.6 lakh,” Kulkarni said. “Only ₹1.5 lakh was paid after repeated reminders.”

According to Kulkarni, his daughter Ketaki Kulkarni, who was 16–17 years old at the time, worked on the film for 26 days at an agreed rate of ₹10,000 per day.

“Initially, ₹50,000 was paid. After a lot of struggle, another ₹1 lakh was paid after the shoot was completed. The remaining amount was promised but never paid,” he claimed.

Kulkarni added that the family was repeatedly told the balance would be cleared after the film’s release or after another project under the same banner was completed. “Eventually, even those replies stopped. Now there is no response at all,” he said.

Kulkarni said they considered approaching CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes Association) but decided against it due to fear of repercussions. “My daughter was at the very beginning of her career. She felt that complaining against a big name could lead to her being blacklisted,” he said.

“Her performance was praised by Vikram Bhatt, Krishna Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt. But the payment issue was never resolved. This was her first film experience, and it turned out to be extremely distressing," Kulkarni added.

Vendors Also Awaiting Payments, Sources Claim

According to additional sources familiar with the production, vendors associated with the film are also allegedly awaiting payments. A crew member THR India spoke to alleged that payments to several individuals on the film—including members of the production and direction teams as well as vendors—were delayed for months.

According to the source, some crew members were eventually able to recover their pending dues by approaching industry associations through personal networks.

“I worked on the project for a few months but was not paid for the last month,” the crew member said. “We were told the payment would be cleared after the OTT release, but later informed that there was no cash flow. I needed the money during Deepavali, but nothing came my way.”

The source further alleged that when additional patchwork was shot several months later, some members of the original team were not contacted, possibly to avoid renewed discussions around pending payments.

“There is no hope now,” the crew member added.

Those who spoke to THR India allege that incomplete payments were widespread. “From what we understand, not many have received their full amount,” Kulkarni said. “This was not a case of the film not earning money. It did some ₹17 to 18 crore at the box office and then it was released on OTT. Payments should have been cleared from that.”

Chadha echoed similar concerns, adding that prolonged silence and lack of closure were as damaging as the financial loss itself. “As freelancers, we don’t have institutional safeguards,” he said. “Eventually, people either give up or stay silent out of fear."