A recent statement by Vashu Bhagnani has reignited discussion around the box office failure of Coolie No. 1 and the financial pressure faced by producers in big-budget Bollywood projects.
Published: May 23, 2026 2:31 PM IST
A fresh controversy has erupted in Bollywood after producer Vashu Bhagnani publicly criticised filmmaker David Dhawan and actor Varun Dhawan while speaking about the financial losses suffered during Coolie No. 1. The producer also raised objections over the recreated use of the popular song Chunari Chunari in the upcoming film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. His comments during a recent press conference quickly grabbed attention online and reopened discussions around the failure of the 2020 comedy remake and the ongoing legal dispute connected to music rights.
Vashu Bhagnani opens up about Coolie No. 1 losses
During the press interaction, Vashu Bhagnani revealed that he suffered a loss of nearly Rs 27 crore because of Coolie No. 1. The film starred Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan and was released directly on OTT during the COVID pandemic.
The producer claimed that although he was officially attached to the film as producer, most of the creative and financial decisions were controlled by David Dhawan. He said, “I told David ji that I want to make Biwi No 1. We suffered a loss of around Rs 27 crores in Coolie No 1. I was just a namesake producer. It was David ji who 100 percent handled the production and expenses. I paid David ji big money to make that film, almost Rs 70 crore which was not even his worth.”
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Producer questions accountability after film’s failure
While talking about the aftermath of the film’s poor performance Vashu Bhagnani also expressed disappointment over the lack of support after the financial setback. He stated “It was the time of Covid and David ji told me ‘Aapka jo bhi nuksaan hua hai we’ll take care of in future. Let’s start Biwi No 1.’ Accordingly we worked on Biwi No 1 for six months.”
He further continued, “One day Rohit Dhawan told me that the script is not ready. Since it’s creative work I decided not to hurry. Aaram se picture banate hai. I suffered a loss of Rs 27 crores in Coolie No 1. Varun never even bothered to check ki uncle ka nuksaan hua hai kaun poora karega?” His remarks have now sparked major reactions across the industry and social media.
Chunari Chunari remix controversy explained
The issue became more serious after leaked clips from the sets of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai surfaced online in 2025. The videos showed Varun Dhawan dancing to a recreated version of the iconic song Chunari Chunari alongside Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde.
According to Vashu Bhagnani producer Ramesh Taurani and Tips Music do not have the rights to use songs from Biwi No. 1. He also claimed that the storyline of the upcoming film appears similar to the 1999 comedy starring Salman Khan Sushmita Sen, Karisma Kapoor Anil Kapoor and Tabu in pivotal roles.
Legal battle between Puja Entertainment and Tips Music
The dispute later reached court after Puja Entertainment secured interim protection from a civil court in Katihar regarding alleged misuse of intellectual property and music rights. Following the court order Tips Music denied all allegations and described the claims as malicious and baseless.
