The public dispute between veteran Bollywood producer Vashu Bhagnani and the filmmaking duo of David and Varun Dhawan reached a critical point after an industry source came forward with severe financial and creative allegations. The friction centers around the upcoming theatrical release titled Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, which stars Varun Dhawan alongside co-stars Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde.
Initial legal filings indicated that Bhagnani filed a lawsuit claiming the project was an unauthorized reimagining of his 1999 production Biwi No. 1. However, an official public notice dismissed the Biwi No. 1 remake claims, with production insiders clarifying that the new script centers on an original double pregnancy plot rather than an extramarital affair.
The legal friction originally intensified when Bhagnani approached a court in Bihar, securing an interim status quo order regarding the intellectual property and music rights of his older production catalog. This move followed the inclusion of a remade version of the 1999 track Chunari Chunari in the new film, sparking a fierce ownership debate between Puja Entertainment and Tips Music. Tips Music countered by defending their long-held master audio rights, which they have commercialized for nearly three decades, while Bhagnani argued that video exploitation rights remain with the original producer. This corporate deadlock has put intense focus on the film following the interim protection granted to Puja Entertainment by the court.
Adding to the escalation, an insider source alleged that David Dhawan and Varun Dhawan had to pay nearly Rs 16 crores out of their own personal savings to clear outstanding crew and vendor debts during the production of the 2020 Coolie No. 1 remake. The source claimed that Bhagnani failed to clear those accounts, leaving the director and actor to resolve the financial liabilities independently to protect the film’s staff. Bhagnani stated during his public media brief that he will drop all legal grievances and issue an apology if the filmmakers prove that the upcoming movie does not feature sequences or music samples from his past library.