PARTIES
Plaintiff: Tara Mehta, d/o Rajesh Mehta, aged 29 years, c/o Advs. Ghosh & Nair, Nariman Point, Mumbai — 400021
Defendant No. 1: Arjun Malhotra, s/o Suresh Malhotra, aged 41 years, Anand Nagar, Versova, Mumbai — 400061
Defendant No. 2: Horizon Talent Agency Pvt. Ltd., registered office: 3rd Floor, Maker Chambers IV, Nariman Point, Mumbai — 400021
PLAINT (ABRIDGED)
The Plaintiff states and submits as follows:
1. The Plaintiff is an actress of established professional standing, having appeared in eleven theatrical productions and four feature films between 2018 and 2024. The Plaintiff was engaged to play the lead female role in the motion picture Zara Ruk (Prod. No. SR-2024-061), co-produced by SR Productions Pvt. Ltd. and Limelight Entertainment.
2. Defendant No. 1 (Arjun Malhotra) is the lead male actor in the same production and a director and shareholder of Defendant No. 2 (Horizon Talent Agency Pvt. Ltd.).
3. The Plaintiff avers that on or about 14 September 2024, Defendant No. 1, acting in his capacity as a director of Defendant No. 2, made representations to the Plaintiff's then-manager (Mr. B. Suresh) that the Plaintiff's negotiated remuneration for Zara Ruk was ₹40 lakhs per week. The Plaintiff's contract, executed in October 2024, reflects a remuneration of ₹32 lakhs per week — a difference of ₹8 lakhs per week across an eight-week shoot, totalling ₹64 lakhs.
4. The Plaintiff further avers that Defendant No. 1 made separate representations to the production company indicating that the Plaintiff had agreed to a below-market rate, and that the difference had been directed to a "production services fund" managed by Defendant No. 2.
5. The Plaintiff has demanded production of relevant correspondence and financial records from both Defendants. No disclosure has been made.
6. The Plaintiff seeks: (a) damages of ₹64,00,000; (b) an accounting of all payments made to Defendant No. 2 by or on behalf of SR Productions Pvt. Ltd. in connection with Zara Ruk; (c) costs of suit.
ATTACHED — PLAINTIFF'S AFFIDAVIT EXTRACT (SWORN 28 JAN 2025)
"I confronted Arjun about this directly on set on 17 January 2025. He said I was confused and that this was a standard industry arrangement. I don't accept that. I engaged my current legal counsel the same day. I want this resolved before the film releases. I have no wish to create a public controversy — I only want what was agreed."
Set Incident Record — Film City Studios Security
Security log entry, 17 January 2025, 17:30 — elevated voices reported between T. Mehta and A. Malhotra at the Stage 3 entrance. PA on duty (name withheld) intervened. No physical altercation. Parties separated by approximately 17:36. No formal incident report filed.
This document was recovered from Tara Mehta's legal counsel file, seized by Mumbai Police on 15 February 2025. The civil proceedings were in an early stage. No hearing had been held and no response had been filed by either defendant as of 14 February 2025.