It’s déjà vu time for producer Sohail Makhlai. Cash in exchange of negatives—that’s what the unit members of Cash in South Africa are asking for from him. The South African unit is holding the negatives ‘hostage’ until the dues are cleared, reveals a source.

The Anubhav Sinha-directed Cash is an action thriller revolving around a heist. The film’s crew, including actors Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Dia Mirza, Esha Deol and Shamita Shetty, was in South Africa for a 45-day shoot schedule starting mid September.

“After the shoot wrapped up in the first week of November, Anubhav and Sohail stayed on to sort out the payment issues. They felt that they had been charged too much despite the tie-up with the South African Tourism Board. But, they were told to clear the balance payment,” says the source.

While Sinha returned to Mumbai a week later, Makhlai stayed on for a few days. “But they don’t seem to be reaching any consensus and the film’s stock continues to be held as security till the dues are cleared,” informs the source.

This isn’t the first time Makhlai has faced financial crunch while shooting abroad. The negatives of Dus, which was shot in Toronto and co-produced by Nitin Manmohan, were in the Canadian unit’s custody for non-payment of dues. Before the film’s release, Makhlai and Manmohan split.

To generate funds for Dus’ release from the Canadian unit, Manmohan made Tathastu with Sanjay Dutt. Interestingly, Dus and Tathastu were both directed by Anubhav Sinha.

Makhlai, who was out of town, replied via an SMS, saying there’s no truth in it. But a source in the production confirmed, “The negatives aren’t here yet. They will be after the issues are sorted out in a few days time.

source:hindusthantimes