Vashu Bhagnani slams David Dhawan over Coolie No. 1 losses: ‘Paid almost Rs. 70 crore, was not even his worth’

PRoducer Vashu Bhagnani has publically lashed come out o'er the reuse of the caterpillar track Chunari Chunari in Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, starring Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde. The veteran soldier producer also took sharp digs at filmmaker David Dhawan and his son Varun, accusing them of failing to take accountability for the heavy financial losses suffered after the disastrous performance of Coolie No. 1.Vashu Bhagnani slams David DhawanOn Friday, Vashu held a press conference to address his ongoing dispute with David Dhawan. During the interaction, the producer claimed that producer Ramesh Taurani and Tips cannot use the songs from his 1999 film Biwi No.1.Vashu also claimed that the storyline of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai appears to bear similarities to Biwi No.1, which featured Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen and Karisma Kapoor.Vashu said, “I told David ji that I want to make Biwi No 1. We suffered a loss of around Rs. 27 crores in Coolie No 1 (2020). I was just a namesake producer. It was David ji who 100% handled the production and expenses. I paid David ji big money to make that film; almost Rs. 70 crore, which was not even his worth.”During the press conference, Vashu also opened up about the losses he suffered after Coolie No 1 flopped.The producer continued, “It was the time of COVID and David ji told me, ‘Aapka jo bhi nuksaan hua hai, we’ll take care of in future. Let’s start Biwi No 1.’ Accordingly, we worked on Biwi No 1 for six months. One day, Rohit Dhawan told me that the script is not ready. Since its creative work, I decided not to hurry. Aaram se picture banate hai (Let’s make the films at a relaxed pace)… I suffered a loss of Rs. 27 crores in Coolie No 1. Varun never even bothered to check ki uncle ka nuksaan hua hai; kaun poora karega? (how much loss did I bear? And who will pay for it?)”Released in 2020, the film starred Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan. The film, which was released in the OTT space due to the Covid-19 pandemic, received largely negative reviews from critics as well. On IMDb, which allows audiences to rate a film, the David Dhawan film has a dismal rating of 1.4. Vashu went on to reveal that he personally called David Dhawan after discovering that the song Chunari Chunari from his film Biwi No.1 had been used in Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. Recalling the sequence of events, Vashu said he was hurt when he found out that Ramesh Taurani and David Dhawan teamed up for a film. That’s when he called David Dhawan and confronted him.He shared that they sold the audio rights of Biwi No 1 to Tips at the time of release, and claimed that the people from the music label are not ready to meet him over this issue. What do we know about the feudIn 2025, leaked videos from the sets of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai took social media by storm, offering a glimpse of Varun Dhawan grooving to a recreated version of the iconic track Chunnari Chunnari alongside Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde. The viral clips soon snowballed into a full-blown intellectual property row between Puja Entertainment and Tips Music.On May 13, Puja Entertainment (India) Ltd. Secured interim protection from the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division)-I, Katihar, in proceedings initiated against Tips Music Limited and other parties concerning the unauthorised exploitation and commercial misuse of intellectual property rights associated with some of Bollywood's films and music catalogues.Following the judgment, the music label has denied the allegations levelled against it in the ongoing legal dispute, calling Puja Entertainment’s claims “malicious” and “misconceived.” In its note, Tips took a sharp dig at Puja Entertainment, alleging that the legal battle is a deliberate attempt to damage its reputation. The music label also firmly maintained that it is the rightful owner of the music rights at the centre of the dispute.Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai stars Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde in the leading roles. It is helmed by David Dhawan, and is slated to release in theatres on June 5.