Pop singer Shael booked for cheating his producer

Pop singer Shailendra Oswal, also known as Shael, has been booked for cheating the producer of his latest album out of ₹25 lakh. The producer alleges that Shael promised to finance a music video but failed to pay the full amount after it was shot and released without permission. The police are investigating the complaint.

MUMBAI: The Bangur Nagar police on Wednesday booked pop singer Shailendra Oswal aka Shael for cheating Sawant Ghosh, the producer of his latest album, to the tune of ₹25 lakh.

HT Image

Ghosh, the owner of US-based King Pin Motion Pictures, had submitted a written application regarding the matter to a Borivali court, which instructed the Bangur Nagar police on Wednesday to register an FIR against Shael.

In his complaint, Ghosh said he met Shael in 2006 and had produced 15 music videos with him without any issues. In 2019, he received a call from the singer’s Singapore mobile number, saying he wanted Ghosh to produce another music video titled “Makhmali Pyar”, for which he would provide finance to the tune of ₹43 lakh. Shael also told Ghosh that he wanted the video to be shot in Canada.

Ghosh stated that after deciding on the location, he hired Vision N Ltd Asiatic Marketing Communication as line producer and partner for the shoot. But when he asked Shael to disburse the funds, he claimed he was under a financial crisis and said he would be able to pay only 60% of the entire amount. Shael finally paid ₹14 lakh to Ghosh, and he went ahead and shot the video due to earlier relations with the singer, he said.

When Ghosh asked Shael for the balance amount after the shoot was over, he paid some money and promised to pay the rest after the video was released, he noted. On September 16, 2019, he shared the final master video with Shael over e-mail, asking him not to release the same in the public domain without his permission.

However, the next day, Shael released the music video on his YouTube channel without even intimating him, Ghosh stated in his complaint, adding that the singer had cheated him of ₹25 lakh. He subsequently approached the Borivali court.

Pursuant to Wednesday’s court order, the Bangur Nagar police booked Shael under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (breach of trust), 426 (mischief) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Copyrights Act.

“We are verifying the complaint and the transaction history between Ghosh and Shael,” said a police officer from Bangur Nagar police station. The police have asked Shael to visit the police station for investigation.