Veteran filmmaker and producer Mukesh Bhatt has fired back at Divya Khosla Kumar’s claims that Jigra, starring his niece Alia Bhatt, copied the plot of her film Savi. In a recent interview, he dismissed the allegations as nothing more than a bid for media attention.
According to Mukesh, Divya’s public statements are purely strategic. “What Divya did for publicity, I don’t know about that,” he said, calling the controversy manufactured. He insisted that Jigra didn’t originate from Savi, instead, he claimed Jigra draws from Mahesh Bhatt’s 1993 film Gumrah, which itself was influenced by the story Bangkok Hilton.
Mukesh particularly defended Alia, saying she “is too big for this” kind of drama. “Alia Bhatt is a major star. She doesn’t need to steal ideas from my films,” he noted. He described the controversy as “cheap behaviour,” saying Alia doesn’t have to “stoop” to such tactics.
Beyond the plagiarism claims, Divya has also alleged that Jigra inflated its box-office numbers by buying tickets, sharing a picture of an apparently empty theatre as evidence. But Mukesh rejected these as well, framing them as part of the attention-grabbing narrative.
He pushed back hard against what he saw as a calculated attempt to pull a big name into a row. “When you drag a bigger name into something, a controversy is bound to spark,” he said, but maintained that Alia “would never stoop to such a level.”
Mukesh also responded to the story origins more broadly. He noted that for Savi, he acquired the rights to The Next Three Days, the Russell Crowe film, and reversed the gender dynamic for his version. Meanwhile, he has yet to personally watch Jigra, which he says leaves room for misunderstanding.
This isn’t the first time the feud has gotten loud. Divya publicly challenged Alia’s team, accusing them of buying tickets and announcing false box-office figures. She even fired back at Karan Johar, who had posted a cryptic message that many interpreted as a response to her claims.
Mukesh’s strong rebuttal underlines the deep tensions around the controversy, not just about creative ownership, but about reputation, legacy, and how Bollywood’s public battles are often played out in the press. For now, his stance is clear: he believes the controversy was created for visibility, and he remains firmly in defense of his niece.