Singer-Actor Mann Has Been Sued For Fraud In Relation To Punjabi Film And Music Productions In 2012 And 2016! 

Well known Punjabi singer-actor Harbhajan Mann is being sued for fraud by his fellow Canadian producers of the Punjabi film PR, which was released in May this year and was another big flop for Mann, who was rose to the top of film stardom but changing audience tastes and fierce competition from new crop of Punjabi film stars has left the veteran artist in the dust.  Producers Harvinder Saran of Edmonton and Darshan Rangi, a Vancouver realtor and friend of Mann for over 30 years, have filed a lawsuit in a Punjab court seeking to recover their 2.5 crore ($475,000), claiming that Mann cheated them by not putting a penny of his own money in the originally budgeted 4.68 crore ($850,000) where according to their signed agreement Mann was to put an equal amount of as their investment into the film.

By PD Raj – Senior Writer DESIBUZZCanada 

VANCOUVER – Well known Punjabi singer-actor Harbhajan Mann is being sued for fraud by his fellow Canadian producers of the Punjabi film PR, which was released in May this year and was another big flop for Mann, who was rose to the top of film stardom but changing audience tastes and fierce competition from new crop of Punjabi film stars has left the veteran artist in the dust. 

Producers Harvinder Saran of Edmonton and Darshan Rangi, a Vancouver realtor and friend of Mann for over 30 years, have filed a lawsuit in a Punjab court seeking to recover their 2.5 crore ($475,000), claiming that Mann cheated them by not putting a penny of his own money in the originally budgeted 4.68 crore ($850,000) where according to their signed agreement Mann was to put an equal amount of as their investment into the film.

Both Saran and Rangi, through their attorney C John, Director of their Sarang Film Productions, have filed the lawsuit, alleging Mann of committing a fraud of around Rs. 2.5 Crores. The matter was taken to the civil court who has now asked Mann and his partner Gurvinder Singh (HM Records) to submit a written reply and Aadhar details by January 09, 2023. 

According to producers Saran and Rangi, they entered into an agreement with Mann through their Sarang Film Productions company for the production of Punjabi film PR in order serve Punjabi language. 

All the parties agreed to making a film on Punjabis migrating abroad which was titled, ‘PR’, for which they signed an  MOU with, both the parties agreeing to bear equal expenses. The film was to be made on an approximate budget of 4 crores 68 lakhs but producers Saran and Rangi say they paid their share of Rs. 2 crores 36 lakhs through cheque for the film production but Mann on the other hand did not invest even a single penny and completed the film on a small budget. 

Saran and Rangi also charge that Mann finished the film in a small budget by taking new lead actress instead of Mandy Takhar who was announced earlier for the film at a press conference in Punjab. They also allege Mann did not pay full payments to the artists and removed all the good songs from the film.

PR’s production in Canada, largely Surrey, was chaotic and even upset legendary Punjabi film director Manmohan Singh, who was roped in by Mann to direct but the production but the people he hired in Canada were not up to par to deliver everything on time and the production suffered. PR went on to be another big flop for Mann.

Mann and his partner Gurvinder have refrained from commenting on the situation. They refused to give any statement when contacted by a leading Punjab-based daily and said that they would stand by decision pronounced by the court.  

This is the not the first time Mann has faced legal troubles relating to film and music production business as he was previously accused of not having paid Rs 4.5 lakh to a private firm, which filed a complaint against him in court in December 2015.Mann had allegedly issued a cheque to the firm in 2014 which bounced.

And before that in 2012, the district court in Bathinda had issued a notice to Mann in an alleged case of cheating and fraud. The court notice had come on a petition by Bathinda-based Friends Film International Company against Mann, H&H Production (P) Ltd, Mohali and Gulzaar Singh Chahal, for recovery of Rs 1.21 crore.

Munish Goel, partner of Friends Film International, had told the court in his petition in March this year that he, along with Anil Deepak from Faridkot and Mann, had agreed to make the Punjabi film. Shooting for Heer-Ranjha started in April 2009 with Friends Film International making an investment of Rs 71 lakh.

However, Mann allegedly did not follow the agreement and when the movie was released in September, 2009, Friends Film International was not given any credits in the film as had been agreed upon earlier.

According to Goel, Mann also refused to pay royalty and also did not return Rs 71 lakh.

The results of these cases are not known and most likely were settled out of court by Mann and his company.