The team of director and technicians of the film Welcome Back is a disgruntled lot. Long after the release of the film and its consequent success, the team hasn’t been paid. This includes director Anees Bazmee, writer Rajiv Kaul, DOP Kabir Lal, make-up artiste Adi Irani and actor Mustaq Khan among others.
Anees Bazmee said, “Firoz bhai (producer) had promised to finish the film in a few months but it took three years. I only work on one film at a time. He asked me to waiver some amount (three out of five crores) and I did. I agreed to all the conditions, but now he got the payment stopped. I lost out on other projects. I have given three years of my life to the film. At least give me my remaining due. That’s all I have to say.”
Apparently, actor John Abraham has also not been paid around three crores from his fees. When repeated attempts at recovery didn’t work, the film’s team sought help from the Federation of Cine Employees. When the federation’s calls went unanswered, it issued a ‘non-co-operation directive’ against the producers which will stand until the final payment is made to those who worked on Welcome Back.
