Filmmaker couple held for cheating producer-actor

Director-producer couple James John and Shobha Barla was arrested by the Amboli police on Monday for allegedly cheating a 25-year-old producer-actor to the tune of Rs4.5 crore in a film project.

According to Mohammed Qureshi, the complainant, the couple allegedly cheated him by denying rights in the film after he invested the money over the past three years.

The two had approached Qureshi for their film Rocket the Slave. When he agreed to invest money in it, they offered him a role in the film and also other production rights, said the police. Qureshi hails from UP and was a student of a film institute in Andheri, when he met the couple.

However, after the project was completed last year, the complainant was allegedly not given any rights or share in the film. While John has directed the movie, his wife is the producer. It's yet to be released.

Senior inspector Ramesh Khadtare said, "The two denied to give him any rights to the film and refused to return the money he had invested. He approached the police last year and, after further investigations, the two were arrested on Monday."

The couple was produced before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate court, which remanded the two in police custody till January 9.