A recent controversy has come to light, involving over 25 TV actors who were allegedly not paid for endorsing an energy drink. Prominent actors like Tejasswi Prakash, Ankita Lokhande, Adrija Roy, Harsh Rajput, Jay Bhanushali, Abhishek Bajaj, and Arjun Bijlani were part of the promotional campaign. However, the promoters failed to pay the promised amount, leading to a police complaint.
Actor Arjun Bijlani, however, revealed that he narrowly avoided the scam. Speaking exclusively to SCREEN, he shared that he chose to step away from the endorsement at the last minute, sparing himself from financial loss.
In early 2024, celebrity manager Roshan Garry Binder collaborated with an energy drink brand to gather 25 actors for the promotion. The deal involved an ad shoot and collaborative reels. Despite assurances, no payments were processed. Left with no choice, Roshan filed a police complaint. Reports state that five individuals are under investigation.
Explaining his side, Arjun said, “Roshan Garry told me there was a campaign and approached me for some 3-4 collab reels, I said okay. She is from the industry, everybody knows her, so we tend to trust her.” However, his trust wavered when the brand failed to honor the payment agreement. Arjun emphasized his preference for advance payments, adding, “Usually I always take an advance payment either 50 percent or full because of these very same incidents.”
Despite repeated promises, the brand kept delaying payments. “They asked for another day, then they told me to shoot first. They said I could trust them, but it was the question of something that was agreed on,” Arjun stated. He also mentioned the involvement of cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav, which initially added credibility to the deal. “There was some kind of mention of Surya Kumar Yadav, so I asked them if I should speak to him, and they said it wasn’t needed,” he said, expressing his doubts. Ultimately, the lack of payment led him to cancel his participation. “Since they didn’t honour their commitment, I didn’t shoot for it,” he confirmed.
According to Arjun, the agreement was for Rs 40 lakhs for 4-5 reels, with each reel valued at Rs 8 lakhs. “I did the first one, they would go ahead with the other four,” he explained. However, without the promised initial payment, he refused to proceed.
While Arjun considers himself fortunate to have avoided the scam, he acknowledged how common such incidents are in the industry. “It is better you don’t shoot, rather than shoot and not get paid,” he remarked. He also criticized the lack of accountability in brand deals. “If brands are serious and they want to do this, they should pay a 50 percent advance. Why wait for 30 days or 50 days?” Arjun pointed out the complications caused by agencies, adding, “Agencies involved in the deals also create a lot of issues. They quote you some other price, and they end up taking some other price.”
He suggested the implementation of more transparent agreements to prevent similar scams in the future. “I think there should be tri-party emails and confirmations so there is no cheating involved. They can take whatever the agency fee is,” he proposed.
While the investigation is ongoing, Tejasswi Prakash and Ankita Lokhande have chosen not to comment on the matter. The industry waits for further updates as the police work to resolve the case.