Arshad Warsi worked as a choreographer in a Boney Kapoor production in 1993.
Arshad Warsi recalls being underpaid for choreographing a song in Boney Kapoor’s ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja.’ Boney and Pankaj Parashar offer their side of the story.
Arshad Warsi recently made headlines after an interview on Unfiltered by Samdish’s YouTube channel, where he claimed that he was underpaid for choreographing a song in Boney Kapoor’s 1993 film Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. Arshad mentioned that he was promised Rs. 1 lakh for the job but received only Rs. 75,000 after completing the shoot in three days instead of the planned four. His comments sparked curiosity and raised questions about the incident.
Recalling the event, Arshad said, “I quoted Rs. 1 lakh and estimated it would take four days to complete the song. However, the production team asked if I could finish it sooner to cut costs. I managed to complete the shoot in three days, expecting them to appreciate my efficiency. But when I went to collect my payment, they gave me Rs. 75,000 instead of Rs. 1 lakh. They said, ‘For four days, it’s Rs. 1 lakh, and for three days, it’s Rs. 75,000,’ which didn’t seem fair to me.”
Responding to Bollywood Hungama, Boney Kapoor laughed off the claim. “I read his statement and found it amusing. This happened in 1992, and he’s bringing it up now. At that time, he was not a star; who would have paid him such a huge amount?” Boney clarified that Arshad was paid Rs. 25,000 per day, which totaled Rs. 75,000 for the three days of work.
Boney also explained that the shoot, directed by Pankaj Parashar, was initially planned for four days but was completed in three. “I didn’t even remember this episode. It wasn’t like he was promised a certain amount. He was paid according to the number of days worked.”
When asked if Arshad ever mentioned this to him before, Boney said, “No, he never brought it up. We were on a TV show together with Malaika Arora and Farah Khan, and he never mentioned it then. Now suddenly, he talks about it. Everybody wants media attention, and I am an easy target.”
Pankaj Parashar, who wasn’t involved in the financial dealings, noted, “I was the director and completed the song in three days, not Arshad. He was a newcomer choreographer at the time. But let him take credit; there’s no need to make an issue out of it.”
