Alia Bhatt's latest film, Jigra, directed by Vasan Bala, has been making headlines recently, but not for positive reasons. Released on October 11, the film received mixed reviews and had a disappointing opening weekend at the box office. Adding to the controversy, Bijou Thaangjam, a Manipur-based actor, accused the film's makers of "unprofessional behavior."
Bijou took to his X account to share his experiences during the casting process for Jigra. He explained that he was initially approached for a role but felt left in the dark throughout the process, which resulted in lost opportunities with other projects. He stated, “I’m not writing this with any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what we face.”
In his post, Bijou shared that he was contacted by the casting team in 2023 and sent audition tapes twice over four months. He was told he would start shooting in December, but no firm dates were provided. Despite this, he was expected to keep himself available for filming. He highlighted that he made it clear he needed travel arrangements from Imphal, Manipur, but his concerns were not addressed.
Bijou noted that he was left waiting for updates throughout December, with the last communication being a vague message on December 26 stating they were "waiting for a revert." This lack of clarity led him to miss out on other roles, as he was kept on standby. He concluded his statement by saying, “The way they handled this entire situation was deeply unprofessional. For actors like me from the Northeast, it felt particularly dismissive.”
The film's release has also been surrounded by accusations from Divya Khossla Kumar, who claimed Alia Bhatt rigged box office numbers. While Alia has not publicly responded, Karan Johar shared a note on social media suggesting that sometimes silence is the best response.
Jigra opened with only ₹4.25 crore on its first day, marking Alia’s worst box office opening in a decade, and has since earned ₹16.75 crore overall, with a third-day collection of ₹5.65 crore.