Actor claims he was threatened and attacked after demanding unpaid dues for eight days of shoot in Madhya Pradesh
Actor Satendra Soni, best known for his role in Laapataa Ladies, has accused a filmmaker of assaulting and threatening him following a dispute over unpaid remuneration during the shooting of a film in Madhya Pradesh. Sharing an emotional video on Instagram, the actor claimed he was asked to leave the set after demanding his dues and alleged that the situation escalated into physical violence.
What the actor alleged
Soni shared a distressed video in which he alleged that he was denied payment after completing eight days of filming.
“My name is Satendra Soni. I am an actor. I had come here to shoot a film, whose director is Pushpendra Singh. He had given me Rs 50,000 signing amount, and he told me that after this we will pay you after the shoot. We have completed eight days of shoot today and when I spoke to him about the money, he asked me to pack up and told me, ‘I better not see you in the hotel.’ He is threatening to kill me.”
Accusations of public assault
Along with the video, Soni posted a detailed note in Hindi in which he accused director Pushpendra Singh and his wife, Pragati Chauhan, of attacking him in public. According to the actor, the couple allegedly chased him and two others in a car before confronting them.
He wrote, “The three of us were walking when they chased us in a car. His wife, Pragati Chauhan, and director Pushpendra Singh, upon seeing me, started beating me in the middle of the road. When Shridhar Bhaiya came forward to save me, the director started beating him too.”
Return to Mumbai
In a follow-up post, Soni informed his followers that he and two fellow artistes had safely returned to Mumbai. Filming from a railway station, he expressed gratitude to the Madhya Pradesh Police and everyone who assisted them in reaching the city safely.
Who is Satendra Soni?
Satendra Soni has featured in supporting roles across films and television, including Doctor G, Bawaal, Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, and Hello Bachhon. He earned wider recognition with his appearance in Kiran Rao’s acclaimed Laapataa Ladies, produced by Aamir Khan. The film received widespread critical acclaim and was selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars.
The actor is next set to appear in Mirzapur: The Movie, backed by Farhan Akhtar and featuring Pankaj Tripathi, Divyenndu, Ali Fazal and Jitendra Kumar.
