Dhruva Sarja Booked for Cheating Producer Raghvendra Hegde of ₹9.58 Crore, Amboli Police FIR

The Amboli Police have registered an FIR against popular South Indian actor Dhruva Kumar, also known as Dhruva Sarja, for allegedly cheating producer-director Raghvendra Hegde of ₹3.15 crore, which with 18% annual interest since 2018 has now risen to ₹9.58 crore.

According to the FIR, Hegde, 52, a Kandivali West resident and owner of RH Entertainment and R-9 Entertainment, made his directorial and production debut in 2016 with the Kannada film Jaggi Dada. After its success, Dhruva allegedly approached Hegde at his Mumbai office expressing interest in a collaboration.

Between 2016 and 2018, Dhruva reportedly convinced Hegde to work on a project titled The Soldier and even handed over its script. Hegde claims Dhruva demanded advance payment before signing the agreement, stating he needed funds to purchase a flat and assuring that filming would begin soon.

From June 2018 to March 2021, Hegde claims he paid Dhruva ₹3.15 crore in cash, in eight instalments, borrowed at high interest rates. On February 21, 2019, both parties signed an agreement stating Dhruva would allot 80 days for shooting and promotions in 2020. However, the actor allegedly sought more time, and pandemic delays pushed the project further.

Post-lockdown, Dhruva allegedly avoided Hegde and in 2021 said he could no longer work on the film. Hegde also alleges that Dhruva asked him to pay six other individuals linked to the project, which he did, yet the film never began.

Hegde claims Dhruva never fulfilled his commitment or returned the money, accusing the actor of approaching him with intent to cheat. The Amboli Police registered the case on August 7 under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

UPDATE:

Dhruva Sarja's manager clarification

Actor Dhruva Sarja's manager has clarified the allegations of cheating related to an advance of ₹3.15 crore for making a movie. He stated that they have issued a legal notice concerning the dispute over making the movie in a foreign language.

Speaking to the media, he said, "Raghavendra Hegde met us on June 8 to discuss the project. The film is about soldiers, so the budget will naturally be higher. We expressed that we did not want to make the film in Kannada because the market is not strong enough. He suggested making the film in Tamil or Telugu instead, but Dhruva Sarja insisted that Kannada should be given priority first. When Raghavendra disagreed, he sent a notice from the Mumbai court on June 10. We responded to the notice on June 15. Our lawyer is currently in talks with theirs."

He further explained, "Raghavendra Hegde first met us in 2018 and gave us an advance. It is incorrect to say that we never received the money. He told us he would make a film about soldiers and gave an advance of ₹3.15 crore. He also paid ₹20 lakh through Nandini Entertainment. When there were issues with Nandini Entertainment, we returned the ₹20 lakh."

"He said he would get the story ready and come back. Despite our team following up every three months, he kept saying that the story was still being prepared. After five years of waiting, they finally sent the first half of the story, but no matter how many times we followed up, the second half was never delivered."

"We appointed someone to coordinate with them. They visited the film set and spoke to Dhruva Sarja but said they were busy with different serials and kept delaying progress."