Case Against Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Organisers For “Fraud”

Mumbai:

The Mumbai Police have registered a case against organisers of the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) for allegedly claiming the Centre’s support to hold the event and deceiving various state governments and entities like Punjab National Bank, Cinepolis and PVR Inox for sponsorship. 

The organisers, including DPIFF founder and Managing Director Anil Mishra, also allegedly sold awards in the name of Dadasaheb Phalke – known as the “Father of Indian Cinema” – to several actors, including those whose films were commercially unsuccessful, police sources said. 

The accused also cited the participation of prominent Bollywood actors and reportedly took Rs 2.5 lakh for a pass (that would permit two people) for the event that is scheduled to be held at Taj Lands End in the upscale Bandra area of Mumbai on February 19 and 20. 

The DPIFF is the country’s only independent global film fest and the most prestigious cinematic celebration that honours the legacy of Dadasaheb Phalke, according to information available on its website. To be sure, the awards distributed in the event are different from the one given by the President of India as part of the National Film Awards.

There was no immediate comment from the organisers of the DPIFF till the time of filing this report.

The police sources said a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr Mishra – a former member of the Central Board of Film Certification, his wife Parvati Mishra and their son Abhishek Mishra, among others, was registered for falsely claiming the support of prominent political leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make the event appear credible. 

The organisers also claimed that the event seeks to promote the “Incredible India” campaign, an international tourism campaign launched by the Ministry of Tourism in 2002 to portray India as a tourist destination.

Besides, the organisers tried to portray the event as part of the “Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award” that is presented by the President of India. 

Mr Anil Mishra, the sources said, used letters of good wishes purportedly written by Prime Minister Modi, Mr Shah, Tourism Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to promote the event. 

The accused allegedly collected sponsorship from government and semi-government institutions. He collected money from the tourism department of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Maharashtra, Punjab National Bank, the State Bank of India and Life Insurance Corporation. The organisers also targeted Haldirams, Acer, Cinepolis, PVR Inox and Senco among others.

Mr Mishra also collected money from actors, whose films were commercially unsuccessful, in exchange for an award, the sources said. 

Moreover, the company – International Tourism Festival Private Limited – under whose name he obtained the sponsorship has been shut down, the sources added.

The case was filed on the basis of a complaint by Sameer Dixit, who is the Maharashtra president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Chitrapat Kamgar Aghadi that claims to support artists, technicians and workers of the film, television and digital industry.

“When we tried to dig up information on the film festival, we learnt that the organisers tried to make the event appear as though it was government-supported. They also used the Prime Minister’s Office and names of ministers as a reference to promote the event and misguide the people. They also said the festival seeks to promote the ‘Incredible India’ tourism campaign. They took sponsorship from public sector units like Punjab Tourism and Uttarakhand Tourism and Punjab National Bank. We have gathered all the evidence and given them to the police,” Mr Dixit said.

The organisers have been charged under sections 318 (4) – deals with cheating and fraud – and 319 (2) – punishment for the crime – of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and a probe is underway, the police sources said.